Environmental ethics in professional ethics

Environmental ethics is the field dedicated to understanding human responsibilities with regard to the natural environment. Some approaches to environmental ethics apply standard philosophical theories (e.g., utilitarianism and rights-based approaches) to environmental issues. Other approaches have sought to develop entirely new theoretical frameworks, such as “ A key debate within the field of environmental ethics concerns whether our concern for the environment should be As it applies to the world of business, environmental ethics is centrally concerned with the impact that a company’s activities have upon the natural world. In particular, it asks what obligations a company (or its owners and managers) has with regard to the natural environment. For example, it concerns questions such as how much pollution is acceptable. Given that it is all but impossible to avoid pollution altogether, how much is too much? What responsibility do companies (or their owners and managers) have to use resources in a way that makes sure sufficient resources are available for future generations? Questions also arise about the motivation for corporate attention to environmental concerns. Some have pointed out that there can be a strong ‘business case’ for environmental conservation. That is, they suggest it makes good business or economic sense, either from a societal point of view or from the point of view of an individual company, to take care of the environment. Others point out that envir...

Environmental ethics is the discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the environment and its non-human contents. This entry covers: (1) the challenge of environmental ethics to the anthropocentrism (i.e., human-centeredness) embedded in traditional western ethical thinking; (2) the development of the discipline from the 1960s and 1970s; (3) the connection of deep ecology, feminist environmental ethics, animism and social ecology to politics; (4) the attempt to apply traditional ethical theories, including consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics, to support contemporary environmental concerns; (5) the broader concerns of some thinkers with wilderness, the built environment and the politics of poverty; and (6) the ethics of sustainability and climate change. Suppose putting out natural fires, culling feral animals or removing some individual members of overpopulated species is necessary for the protection of the integrity of a certain ecosystem. Will these actions be morally permissible or even required? Is it morally acceptable for farmers in non-industrial countries to practise slash and burn techniques to clear areas for agriculture? Consider a mining company which has performed open pit mining in some previously unspoiled area. Does the company have a moral obligation to restore the landform and surface ecology? And what is the value of a humanly restored environment compared with the...

CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONALS National Association of Environmental Professionals 1979, revised 1994 ••• The Code of the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) takes a broad view of environment, which includes physical, natural, and cultural systems. It is noteworthy that a The objectives of Environmental Professionals are to conduct their personal and professional lives and activities in an ethical manner. Honesty, justice and courtesy form moral philosophy which, associated with a mutual interest among people, constitute the foundation of ethics. Environmental Professionals should recognize such a standard, not in passive observance, but as a set of dynamic principles guiding their conduct and way of life. It is their duty to practice their profession according to this Code of Ethics. As the keystone of professional conduct is integrity, Environmental Professionals will discharge their duties with fidelity to the public, their employers, clients, and with fairness and impartiality to all. It is their duty to interest themselves in public welfare, and to be ready to apply their special knowledge for the benefit of mankind and their environment. Creed The objectives of an Environmental Professional are: • to recognize and attempt to reconcile societal and individual human needs with responsibility for physical, natural, and cultural systems. • to promote and develop policies, plans, activities and projects that...