Chapter 2: Environmental Ethics

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Chapter 2 Environmental Ethics

• Environmental Attitudes Worldviews or Ethics
• Corporate Environmental Ethics
• Internalizing Externalities
• Individual Global Environmental Ethics

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Environmental Attitudes Worldviews

• Text defines three different ethics or
  Worldviews
• Development, Preservation, Conservation

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Development Ethic - Conservative

• Human-centered gt human species is the master of
  nature and should reap its benefits
• Progress is always good If it can be done, it
  should be done
• Capitalistic gt private ownership of land
• Nature has value only insofar as humans can
  benefit from it economically gt must be
  conquered
• There is always more
• Healthy environment depends on healthy economy

4
Preservation Ethic - Liberal

• Nature-centered gt human species has no intrinsic
  right to control nature
• Various reasons for this view see text, page 24
• Progress is usually bad since it leads to
  pollution and overconsumption
• Anti-capitalistic gt government ownership and
  control of land for common good
• There is not always more
• Healthy economy depends on healthy environment

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Conservation Ethic - Moderate

• Middle ground between extreme views of total
  development and absolute preservation
• Nature can and should benefit humans, but
  renewable resource use should always be in a
  sustainable manner
• Allows for modern developed society that can
  continue indefinitely gt There can always be
  more, if properly managed
• Role model Western Europe
• Environment and economy depend on each other

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Corporate Environmental Ethics

• Corporation a legal entity designed to operate
  at a profit

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Corporate Environmental Ethics

• Pollution is not intentional by corporations
• In a democratic country, corporate compliance
  with environmental agendas must be at least in
  part voluntary
• Some successes
• CERES principles (Coalition for Environmentally
  Responsible Economics, after Valdez 1989)
• A guide for corporate environmentalism
• ISO9000 quality standards also support env...

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One sound environmental principle...

• Is to internalize externalities
• I.e., account for the societal and environmental
  costs of products

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Internalizing Costs

• All of the costs shown here are internal they
  are part of the calculated price of the car
• What about pollution, noise, disposal of old
  cars, depletion of resources? These are
  external costs paid for by society

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Individual Global Environmental Ethics

• It appears that many individuals want the
  environment cleaned up, but they do not want to
  make major lifestyle changes to make that happen

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Individual Environmental Ethics

• Each of us is responsible for the quality of the
  environment we live in
• 1997 Roper Poll gt Majority of Americans think
  environmental problems can often be given a quick
  technological fix (Development ethic)
• Cars pollute, not drivers gt pollution free
  car?
• Need knowledge to catch up with good intentions
  ltgt EDUCATION!

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Global Environmental Ethics

• Separation of North and South
• North Industrialized countries (MDCs) gt 20
  of population, 80 of its wealth, most of its
  pollution
• South Developing countries (DCs and LDCs) in
  a vicious circle overpopulation poverty
  attempts at industrialization gt cant afford
  pollution controls. Foreign aid gt more
  overpopulation gt vicious cycle