Mains Practice Questions

Approach

• Define environmental ethics
• Mention distinctive features of environmental ethics.
• Explain, how and why environmental ethics has become a concern for the contemporary world
• Conclude by explaining its global significance.

Introduction

Environmental ethics is a branch of ethics that studies the relation of human beings and the environment and how ethics play a role in this. This branch of ethics emerged due to effects that technology, industry, economic expansion and population growth have on the environment.

Body

Distinctive features of Environmental ethics:

• Environmental ethics believe that humans are a part of society as well as other living creatures, which includes plants and animals.
• It is teleological as it is aiming for the welfare of human along with other species through different means.
• It is inter-disciplinary, which involved politics, environment, science, ethics, etc.
• It is global where every country whether rich of poor is participating.

Environmental ethics has become one of the major concerns in the contemporary world because of the following reasons:

• According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2019- “Of all risks, it is in relation to the environment that the world is most clearly sleepwalking into a catastrophe”.
• Global warming and climate change have threatened the lives of billions of people.
• Loss of biodiversity, which is not just environmental issues; it is also a threat to global development, security, and economic prosperity.
• The apathy of the ruling class toward the environment. For example, the withdrawing of the USA from the Paris Climate treaty
• Climate change-induced conflict. According to the Global Environmental Change (scientific journal), there is a direct correlation between climate change, migration, and conflict.

Conclusion

While the world is divided on the basis of ideology, nation-states, religion, language, etc, environmental ethics has united this divided world. The challenges posed by global warming, climate change, deforestation, desertification, etc, affect people irrespective of any boundaries, so it requires a unified effort.