Environmental ethics: concept, basic principles, problems

In the XXI century, the question of the relationship of man with nature arose especially sharply. The indicators such as the state of the ozone layer, the temperature of the ocean water, the rate of melting of ice, the mass extinction of animals, birds, fish and insects turned out to be too striking.

The idea of the need for such a thing as environmental justice and its introduction into the masses began to appear in the minds of humane and civilized people. If this mission is carried out on a global scale, then this can forever change the consumer attitude of people to nature to partnership.

The rise of environmental ethics

When the ecological crisis was just brewing in the 70s of the last century, scientists in the West reacted to it by creating such a scientific discipline as environmental ethics. The main cause of environmental problems, according to experts such as D. Pierce, D. Kozlovsky, J. Tinbergen and others, is the departure at some stage in the development of life on the planet in the complete absence of a human connection with nature.

If at the beginning of its journey, mankind perceived nature as a manifestation of divine power, on which the life of civilization directly depends, as the development of science and industry, admiration for the wisdom and harmony of this world has been replaced by a thirst for profit.

That is why the organizers came to the conclusion that it is impossible to consider existing problems in isolation from the study of human moral and ethical standards. Only by rooting in people the realization that they are not the crowns of nature, but its small biological and energy part, can harmonious relationships be established between them.

This is what such a scientific discipline as environmental ethics does. Advancing its values into the consciousness of most people can qualitatively change life on the planet.

Fundamentals of Environmental Ethics

Maybe this is another confirmation that everything in the history of the Earth is cyclical, and the knowledge that modern people possess was already known to the disappeared civilizations, but scientists are again returning to the origins of ancient wisdom.

Philosophers who lived several thousand years ago knew that the Cosmos, all living and nonliving things on the planet, visible and invisible, constitute a single energy system. For example, this wisdom was characteristic of ancient Indian teachings.

In those days, the world was not dual, that is, divided into nature and man, but constituted a single whole. At the same time, people collaborated with him, studied and well versed in various natural phenomena. The theory of the biosphere and noosphere developed by Vernadsky was based precisely on the fact that Cosmos, nature and animals consist in harmonious interaction with man with full respect for each other's life. These principles formed the basis of the new ethics.

It also takes into account Schweitzer’s teachings on the worship of man before all living things and his responsibility for maintaining balance and harmony in the Universe. Environmental ethics and moral principles of people should be united and focused on the desire to be, not to have. For this to happen, humanity should abandon the ideology of consumption.

Principles of Environmental Ethics

A major role in changing attitudes to contemporary environmental issues was played by the activities of the Club of Rome. In the last quarter of the twentieth century, at the next report at the Club of Rome, its president A. Pechcei first voiced such a concept as environmental culture. The program was associated with the development of New Humanism, which included the task of the complete transformation of human consciousness.

The basic principles of the new concept were formulated at the Seoul International Conference in 1997. The main topic was the discussion of the fact that it is impossible to further restore the ecosystem with such a rapid population growth and the consumption of natural resources.

The Declaration adopted at the conference points to the relationship between the environmental crisis and the social disadvantage of people in most countries. Where all social, material and spiritual conditions are created for the full life of citizens, the threat of the ecosystem is not observed.

The conclusion of this conference was a call to humanity for the harmonious development of all countries in which all laws are aimed at preserving nature and respecting it and life in general. Over the past years, the formation of an ecological culture has not been activated, since this concept was not brought to the attention of all mankind.

The law of nature and society

This law states that the harmonious coexistence of a rapidly evolving human civilization based on consumption and the preservation of natural balance are impossible. The increasing needs of mankind are met at the expense of the planet's resources. The life of plants and wildlife is threatened with extinction.

A change in the current situation is possible only with a decrease in the technical exploitation of natural resources and a change in people's consciousness of material values for spiritual ones, in which concern about the world becomes a priority.

Many scientists believe that the problems of environmental ethics can be solved by reducing fertility in especially densely populated regions of the planet. The first principle of this science is the attitude to nature, as to a living subject, in need of love and care.

The condition for the existence of the biosphere

The main condition for the existence of the biosphere is its constant diversity, which is impossible with the regular exploitation of resources, since they either are not restored at all, or it takes a lot of time.

Since the development of any culture on Earth, as well as its diversity and wealth was supported by natural diversity, the decline of civilization is inevitable without maintaining this balance. You can change the situation only by reducing the activities of people in terms of the consumption of natural resources.

The second principle requires the widespread restriction of human activity and the development of nature's features for self-healing. At the same time, solidarity actions on the preservation of natural resources and the creation of additional artificial natural ecosystems should be held in all countries of the world.

Commoner's Law

This law confirms the theory that nature rejects that which is alien to it. Although it may be subject to chaos, the cultural environment is destroyed. It cannot develop spontaneously, since everything living and nonliving in it is interconnected. The disappearance of one species entails the destruction of other systems associated with it.

The preservation of order, as well as the elimination of entropy, is possible only with a reasonable consumption of the planet’s resources within the framework of the energy needs of mankind and the possibilities of nature itself. If people take more than land can give, crisis is inevitable.

The third principle that modern environmental ethics reveals is that humanity must abandon the consumption of resources beyond those necessary for survival. For this, science must develop mechanisms that can regulate the relationship of people with nature.

Reimers Law

An important necessity for all peoples living on the planet is the opposition to environmental pollution. The best option to translate this into reality is the creation of waste-free production in any industry, but as the Reimers law states, there is always a side effect of anthropogenic impact on nature.

Since the creation of completely waste-free industries is impossible, the only way out of the situation could be the widespread environmentalization of the economy. For this, socio-economic bodies must be created that conduct expert examinations during the construction of facilities or their conversion.

The beauty of nature can only be preserved if all countries jointly observe environmental standards in the operation and management of technologies.

The fourth principle implies the influence of eco-organizations on heads of government, political and government structures of society, which make decisions on the exploitation of natural resources.

Human use of natural resources

Throughout the history of mankind, a close relationship can be traced between people using natural resources and improving their quality of life.

If primitive people were content with caves, a hearth, caught and killed lunch, then in the conduct of a settled life their needs increased. There was a need for deforestation to build houses or expand arable land. Further more.

The current situation is called the overspending of the planet’s resources, and the line of not returning to the previous level has already been passed. The only solution to the problem could be limiting human needs for the economical use of natural resources and turning human consciousness towards spiritual unity with the outside world.

The fifth principle states that nature and animals will be safe when humanity introduces asceticism as the norm of life.

Ethical-worldview problem

The basic principle of the existence of mankind should be the definition of its future path on this planet.

Since an ecosystem with severe destruction cannot be returned to its original state, the only salvation of today's situation may be the decision to make the principles of environmental ethics a world heritage.

But in order to avoid a repetition of the destruction of natural resources, these principles must become part of the culture of every community on Earth. Their introduction into the consciousness of people must be carried out for several generations, so that for descendants it becomes the norm to realize that the beauty of nature and its preservation are their responsibility.

This requires teaching children environmental morality, so that the protection of the world becomes a spiritual need.

Environmental ethics lessons have become a vital necessity for the further development of civilization. To make it simple, it is enough to introduce such discipline in schools and universities around the world.

Anthropocentrism

The concept of anthropocentrism is associated with the teaching that man is the peak of creation, and all the resources and features of nature are created so that he rules them.

Such a suggestion over the centuries has led to an environmental crisis today. Even ancient philosophers argued that animals and plants do not have feelings and exist solely to meet the needs of people.

The conquest of nature among the followers of this concept was welcomed in every way, and this gradually led to a crisis of human consciousness. Controlling everything, controlling everything and subordinating to itself are the main principles of anthropocentrism.

Only the upbringing of ecological culture in the peoples of all countries can change the situation. It will also take time, but with the development of information technology, the process of changing consciousness may become reversible in the next generation of people.

Neanthropocentrism

The main concept of neanthropocentrism is the unity of the biosphere with man. The biosphere is called a living open system, subject to the influence of both external and internal factors. The concept of unity includes not only the similarity of the work of human brain cells and higher animals or the genetic alphabet, but also their submission to the general laws of development of the biosphere.