EthicsLesson 1 of 1 in the course Applied Ethics

Environmental Ethics: Climate Policy, Moral Value, and Justice

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Environmental ethics asks how people should act in relation to the nonhuman world. This lesson introduces the environmental crisis, the role of human activity in climate change, and the early thinkers whose work helped inspire environmental awareness.

Environmental ethics became an academic discipline in the 1970s, but important challenges to human-centered attitudes toward nature appeared earlier. In A Sand County Almanac (1949), Aldo Leopold called for expanding the human community to include the natural world. His idea rested on the recognition that living things and ecological systems are interconnected and interdependent.

All flashcards

Environmental ethics
Applied ethics concerned with right conduct in humanity’s relationship with the nonhuman world.
Anthropocentrism
A human-centered perspective that treats human interests as the primary basis for moral concern.
Instrumental value
Value something has as a means to satisfy needs or achieve ends.
Montreal Protocol
An international agreement to address ozone-layer damage by restricting harmful substances.
Environmental justice
An approach focused on the fair distribution of environmental benefits and harms across communities.

Quiz questions

  1. What helped the Montreal Protocol gain broad international support?Answer: The harmful products had relatively affordable, readily available substitutes.
  2. What role did the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change play?Answer: It provided a foundation for the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
  3. How can an anthropocentric argument support environmental protection?Answer: People depend on healthy ecosystems, clean air, and safe water for their well-being.
  4. According to social ecology, what underlies many environmental problems?Answer: Social and economic hierarchies that enable domination of people and nature.
  5. What is a central concern of environmental justice?Answer: How environmental risks and benefits are distributed among communities.

Based on Introduction to Philosophy by Nathan Smith (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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