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What is Environmental Ethics ?

Origins of Environmental Ethics

Why Is Environmental Ethics Important?

Environment Challenges

What is Deep Ecology?

Principle of Deep Ecology

Ethical Decisions In Respect To Environment

10

Different Approaches to support

11

Environment Responsibility
Environmental issues in Western Countries

12

10

Remedial Measures To Control Problem

13

11

Environmental Issues In India

14

12

Effort taken by the Government Of India

16

13

What is Green Initiative?

17

14

Reason for adopting Green Initiatives

17

15

Companies adopting Green Initiatives

19

16

Bibliography

25

What is Environmental Ethics?

Environmental ethics is a branch of environmental

philosophy, that studies the ethical relationship between human
beings and the environment. Environmental ethics believes in the
ethical relationship between human beings and the natural
environment. Human beings are a part of the society and so are
the other living beings. When we talk about the philosophical
principle that guides our life, we often ignore the fact that even
plants and animals are a part of our lives. They are an integral part
of the environment and hence have a right to be considered a part
of the human life. On these lines, it is clear that they should also be
associated with our guiding principles as well as our moral and
ethical values.

Origins of environmental ethics

Many people associate the beginnings of today's environmental
ethics with the first Earth Day held on April 22, 1970, in the United
States. On that day (and every April since), organizers around the
country rallied and demonstrated to make people and political
leaders aware of the importance of caring for and preserving the
environment. That first Earth Day launched the beginning of an
environmental awareness in the United States and later around the
world. It made many people realize that some sense of
environmental responsibility should be developed and applied to
our daily lives.
Most movements do not just suddenly happen out of nowhere; they
are usually preceded by many other influential events. In the
environmental movement, perhaps the earliest of these was the
pg. 2

1949 publication of a book by American naturalist Aldo Leopold

(18871948). Leopold had fallen in love with nature as a youngster
and eventually joined the newly established U.S. Forest Service in
1909. As a game management expert, he came to appreciate and
understand how deeply humans affected the natural world. A year
after he died, his landmark work, A Sand County Almanac, was
published. It contained not only his strong defense of the
environment but his argument that what was needed was a new
philosophy about man and nature, or what would come to be called
an environmental ethic. This idea was carried on by others when,
two decades later, the first Earth Day was held.

Why

Is

Environmental

Ethics

Important?
Humans are slowly depleting all of our natural resources that
other generations need for their future
Our world was created for us to live and thrive on and we are
slowly killing it
Sustainability for the environment is crucial so that we do not
destruct the world that God created

pg. 3

Environment Challenges
1. Pollution.
2. Consumption of non renewable resources like oil.
3. Use of renewable resources such as water above the rate of natural
replenishment.
4. Change in the universal balance in the ecosystem through the artificial stellar
activities.
5. Inviting climatic change through the rapid felling of trees and fast removal of
forests.
6. The outlook of winning a war against the nature through the scientific
activities.
7. Toxic waste.
8. Contamination of ground water.
9. Oil spills destroying the seashores.
10. Fossils fuels producing carbon dioxide resulting in green house effect.
11. Usage of fluro carbons that deplete the ozone layer.

What is Deep Ecology?

Deep ecology is a contemporary ecological philosophy that
recognizes the inherent worth of other beings aside from their
utility. The philosophy emphasizes the interdependent nature of
human and non-human life as well as the importance of
pg. 4

the ecosystem and natural processes. It provides a foundation for

the environmental, ecology and green movements and has
fostered a new system of environmental ethics.
Deep ecology's core principle is the belief that, like humanity, the
living environment as a whole has the same right to live and
flourish. Deep ecology describes itself as "deep" because it persists
in asking deeper questions concerning "why" and "how" and thus is
concerned with the fundamental philosophical questions about the
impacts of human life as one part of the ecosphere, rather than
with a narrow view of ecology as a branch of biological science,
and aims to avoid merely anthropocentric environmentalism, which
is concerned with conservation of the environment only for
exploitation by and for humans purposes, which excludes the
fundamental philosophy of deep ecology. Deep ecology seeks a
more holistic view of the world we live in and seeks to apply to life
the understanding that separate parts of the ecosystem (including
humans) function as a whole.

Principles of Deep Ecology

pg. 5

1.

The well-being and flourishing of human and non-human life

on Earth have value in themselves (synonyms: intrinsic value,
inherent worth). These values are independent of the usefulness of
the non-human world for human purposes.

2.

Richness and diversity of life forms contribute to the realization

of these values and are also values in themselves.

3.

Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity

except to satisfy vital needs.

4.

The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a

substantially smaller population. The flourishing of non-human life
requires a smaller human population.

5.

Present human interference with the non-human world is

excessive, and the situation is rapidly worsening.

6.

Policies must therefore be changed. These policies affect basic

economic, technological and ideological structures. The resulting
state of affairs will be deeply different from the present.

7.

The ideological change will be mainly that of appreciating life

quality (dwelling in situations of inherent value) rather than adhering
to an increasingly higher standard of living. There will be a profound
awareness of the difference between bigness and greatness.

pg. 6

8. Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation

directly or indirectly to try to implement the necessary changes

Ethical Decisions that Human Beings

make with respect to the Environment.
For example:

Should we continue to clear cut forests for the sake of human

consumption?

Should we continue to propagate?

Should we continue to make gasoline powered vehicles?

What environmental obligations do we need to keep for future

generations?

Is it right for humans to knowingly cause the extinction of a species

for the convenience of humanity?

pg. 7

Different Approaches to support

Environment Responsibility
1. Anthropocentrism approach
It focuses on the utility that human beings can derive by
protecting the environment. Since the survival and well being
of human beings depends on the environment, it is the moral
responsibility of human beings to support and preserve the
environment.

2. According to the axiological approach

It is the moral responsibility to protect animals. It implies the
responsibility of environment with regard to preservation of
animals and animals rights. This approach states it is
essential for human being to have a moral standing towards
the animals.

3. Eco-centric approach
It is considered to be a radical approach to the environmental
responsibility. The theory states that, environment has to be
influenced from direct moral consideration but not the one
pg. 8

which is derived from human interest. The term direct

responsibility means doing activities, which aim at preserving
the inherent nature and environment.
Although different approaches have been put forward to
support environmental responsibility, but a successful
foundation for environmental ethics should fulfill the following
tasks:It has to explain how human beings have degraded the
environment crisis,
It must explain how human beings can protect the
environment.
Environment degradation can be better understood by
examining some of the events that had a major impact on the
environment like the Bhopal disaster and shell oil spill

Environmental issues in Western

Countries
As business expands, the issues concerned with the
environment start gaining importance. Most Western Countries
have faced problem due to environmental degradation. For
example:
Netherland had faced industrial pollution due to the dumping
of industrial waters and the release of hazardous chemicals
into the rivers.

pg. 9

 In Spain, pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage

and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas;
water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution;
deforestation; desertification
In Australia, soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial
development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil
salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water;
desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens
the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species;
the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest
coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping
and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water
resources

Remedial Measures to Control

Problem
NRA (National Rivers Authority):
NRA investigated air, water and soil pollution in 1991. The NRA
classified the severity of pollution incidents according to farm,
pg. 10

industrial to farm, industrial, oil, sewage and water industry.

Reports revealed that the chemical industry recorded the highest
percentage of environment pollution. The most industrial polluter
was the mineral industry followed by the chemical industry. The
NRA also dealt with pollution by court action, if any firm was found
to be irresponsible towards the environment or causing damage to
the environment. NRA imposed fines against such offenders and
issued a formal caution notice.

European Legislation:
The European Legislation took an initiative to protect the
environment and has proposed more than 120 different acts based
on a three-pronged policy:
Promoting the benefits of pollution prevention.
Customizing legislation to meet the requirement of European
member states.
Developing and enforcing a polluters pay policy with an aim to
impose fines for the defaulters.

Initiatives by Governments:

pg. 11

Programs like green agendas initiated by several governments

have encouraged many organizations to participate in conservation
programs. Some organizations initiated environment protection
measures such as installation of desulphurization plants and
introduced energy savings measures.

Environmental Issues in India

The rapid growing population and economic development is
leading to a number of environmental issues in India because of
the uncontrolled growth of urbanization and industrialization,
expansion and massive intensification of agriculture, and the
destruction of forests.
Major environmental issues are Forest and Agricultural land
degradation, Resource depletion (water, mineral, forest, sand,
rocks etc.,), Environmental degradation, Public Health, Loss of
Biodiversity, Loss of resilience in ecosystems, Livelihood Security
for the Poor[1].
It is estimated that the countrys population will increase to about
1.26 billion by the year 2016. The projected population indicates
that India will be the first most populous country in the world and
China will be ranking second in the year 2050[2]. India having 18%
of the world's population on 2.4% of world's total area has greatly
increased the pressure on its natural resources. Water shortages,

pg. 12

soil exhaustion and erosion, deforestation, air and water pollution

afflicts many areas.
India's water supply and sanitation issues are related to many
environmental issues.
Population growth and economic development are contributing to
many serious environmental calamities in India. These include
heavy pressure on land,land degradation, forests, habitat
destruction and loss of biodiversity. Changing consumption pattern
has led to rising demand for energy. The final outcomes of this are
air pollution, global warming, climate change, water scarcity and
water pollution.
Environmental issues in India include various natural hazards,
particularly cyclones and annual monsoon floods, population
growth, increasing individual consumption, industrialization,
infrastructural development, poor agricultural practices, and
resource misdistribution have led to substantial human
transformation of Indias natural environment. An estimated 60% of
cultivated land suffers from soil erosion, water logging, and salinity.
It is also estimated that between 4.7 and 12 billion tons of topsoil
are lost annually from soil erosion. From 1947 to 2002, average
annual per capita water availability declined by almost 70% to
1,822 cubic meters, and overexploitation of groundwater is
problematic in the states of Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.
Forest area covers 18.34% of Indias geographic area
(637000 km). Nearly half of the countrys forest cover is found in
the state of Madhya Pradesh (20.7%) and the seven states of the
pg. 13

northeast (25.7%); the latter is experiencing net forest loss. Forest

cover is declining because of harvesting for fuel wood and the
expansion of agricultural land. These trends, combined with
increasing industrial and motor vehicle pollution output, have led
to atmospheric temperature increases, shifting precipitation
patterns, and declining intervals of drought recurrence in many
areas.

Effort taken by the Government of India

The Government Of India(GOI) has adopted a comprehensive policy

to protect public health, forest, and wildlife. But the policy has an
important limitation that no court can enforce it. some of the
measure such as :
THE INDIAN FOREST ACT, 1927
WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT,1972
Animal Welfare Board of India Act, 1962
Environment Protection Act, 1986
pg. 14

The Environment Protection Act(1986) focused on reducing

industrial pollution. The report stated that the estimated annual
cost of environment degradation is 4.5%of GDP(average).

Green Initiative
Companies are becoming more environment conscious and are adopting
green policies. Green initiatives in business range from Environmental friendly
technological, green tourism, green community and environmental campaigning and
environmental counseling e.g. .An from Environmental friendly technology innovation
such as recyclable toner cartridges in laser printers reduces wastage.
Environmental friendly technology encourages the development and use of
technology that will reduce waste and pollution. Green tourism is aimed at preserving
the landscape. Green community aims at transparency of environmental activities of
organizations. Environmental counseling programs are conducted to voice their ideas
and opinion on environmental issues.

pg. 15

Reason for adopting Green

Initiatives
1. Economic benefit from increased efficiency: By reducing the wastages the firm
can decrease handling expense, fines and costly input, this reduces the cost and
make more economical.
2. Opportunity: In India, around 25% of the consumers prefer environmental-friendly
products, and around 28% may be considered healthy conscious. Therefore, green
marketers have diverse and fairly sizeable segments to cater to. The Surf Excel
detergent which saves water (advertised with the message"do bucket paani roz
bachana") and the energy-saving LG consumers durables are examples of green
marketing. We also have green buildings which are efficient in their use of energy,
water and construction materials, and which reduce the impact on human health and
the environment through better design, construction, operation, maintenance and
waste disposal. In India, the green building movement, spearheaded by the
Confederation of Indian industry (CII) - Godrej Green business Center, has gained
tremendous impetus over the last few years. From 20,000 sq ft in 2003, India's
green building footprint is now over 25 million sq ft.
3. Social Responsibility: Many companies have started realizing that they must
behave in an environment-friendly fashion. They believe both in achieving
environmental objectives as well as profit related objectives. The HSBC became the
world's first bank to go carbon-neutral last year. Other examples include Coca-Cola,
which has invested in various recycling activities. Walt Disney World in Florida, US,
has an extensive waste management program and infrastructure in place.
4. Governmental Pressure: Various regulations rare framed by the government to
protect consumers and the society at large. The Indian government too has
developed a framework of legislations to reduce the production of harmful goods and
by products. These reduce the industry's production and consumers' consumption of
harmful goods, including those detrimental to the environment; for example, the ban
of plastic bags in Mumbai, prohibition of smoking in public areas, etc.

pg. 16

5. Competitive Pressure: Many companies undertake green initiative programme to

maintain their competitive edge. Efficient product ensures the usages of cleaner
technologies, process innovation and waste reduction.
6. Public images: consumers, investors and employees respond positively to
companies with a reputation for good environmental performance

Companies Adopting Green Initiatives

Judging by the number of large, small and mid-size Indian companies that are
setting the trend with green initiatives, India is serious about building
environmental sustainability into her business practices. The following
companies who made it to the list of top 10 green Indian companies prove
the statistics right! Judging by the number of large, small and mid-size Indian
companies that are setting the trend with green initiatives, India is serious
about building environmental sustainability into her business practices. The
following companies who made it to the list of top 10 green Indian
companies prove the statistics right!

pg. 17

Suzlon Energy
The worlds fourth largest wind-turbine maker is among the
greenest and best Indian companies in India. Tulsi Tanti, the
visionary behind Suzlon, convinced the world that wind is the
energy of the future and built his factory in Pondicherry to run
entirely on wind power. Suzlons corporate building is the most
Suzlon One

energy-efficient building ever built in India.

Earth Global
Headquarter
s in Pune Indias
greenest
building

ITC
Papekrafts

ITC Limited
ITC strengthened their commitment to green technologies by
introducing ozone-treated elemental chlorine free bleaching
technology for the first time in India. The result is an entire new
range of top green products and solutions: the environmentally friendly
multi-purpose paper that is less polluting than its traditional counterpart.

premium
range of
eco-friendly
business
paper

Tata Metaliks Limited (TML)

Every day is Environment Day at TML, one of
the top green firms in India. A practical
Everybody is motivated to

example that made everyone sit up and take

do somethingabout reducing notice is the companys policy to discourage

working on Saturdays at the corporate office.
carbon footprints, says
Harsh Jha, Managing Director
TML

pg. 18

Lights are also switched off during the day with the entire office depending on
sunlight.

Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL)

Aerial view

Adjudged the best performer in the 2009-2010 Green Business

of TNPL

Survey, TNPL was awarded the Green Business Leadership Award

in the Pulp and Paper Sector. The initiatives undertaken by this top green
firm in India includes two Clean Development Mechanism projects and a
wind farm project that helped generate 2,30,323 Carbon Emission Reductions
earning Rs. 17.40 Crore.

Wipro Technologies
The list of top 10 green Indian
companies is never complete without Wipro
which climbed to the top five brand league
in Greenpeace's 'Guide to Greener
Electronics' ranking. Despite the global
Wipro broadens its green IT
initiatives through its
participation in "The Green Grid"

financial crisis, Wipro held fast to its

commitment towards energy efficiency and
was lauded for launching energy star
compliant products in the market.

pg. 19

HCL Technologies
This IT major may be considered as the icon ofIndian
green initiatives, thanks to the go green steps
taken in solving the problem of toxics and e-waste in
the electronics industry. HCL is committed to phasing The HCL Green Bag
campaign that aimed at
out the hazardous vinyl plastic and Brominated
Flame Retardants from its products and has called for tackling e-waste
a Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
legislation in India.

Oil and Natural GasCompany (ONGC)

Indias largest oil producer, ONGC, is all set
to lead the list of top 10 green Indian
companies with energy-efficient, green
crematoriums that will soon replace the
traditional wooden pyre across the country.
ONGCs green projects contribute
to increased environmental
awareness among local

ONGCs Mokshada Green Cremation

initiative will save 60 to 70% of wood and a
fourth of the burning time per cremation.

communinities

pg. 20

IndusInd Bank
Green banking has been catching up as among
the top Indian green initiatives ever since
IndusInd opened the countrys first solar-powered
ATM and pioneered an eco-savvy change in the

IndusInds solar-powered

Indian banking sector. The bank is planning for

ATM expects to save

more such initiatives in addressing the challenges

around 1,980 Kw of

of climate change.

energy annually

IDEA Cellular
One of the best Indian companies, IDEA, paints India green
with its national Use Mobile, Save Paper campaign. The
company had organized Green Pledge campaigns at Indian cities
where thousands came forward and pledged to save paper and
trees. IDEA has also set up bus shelters with potted plants and
tendril climbers to convey the green message.
IDEAs
green bus
shelter in
Mumbai

pg. 21

Hero Honda Motors

Hero Honda is one of the largest two-wheeler manufacturers in India and an
equally responsible top green firm in India. The companys philosophy of
continuous innovation in green products and solutions has played a key
role in striking the right balance between business, mankind and nature.

Hero Honda Green Ambassadors: winners of the

international inter-school environment quiz competition

pg. 22

Bibliography
http://www.scienceclarified.com/El-Ex/EnvironmentalEthics.htmlhttp://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethicsenvironmental/
http://daphne.palomar.edu/calenvironment/ethics.htm
http://gadfly.igc.org/e-ethics/Intro-ee.htm
http://www.ethicsweb.ca/resources/environmental/issues.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/194023/ethics
http://www.ethicsweb.ca/resources/environmental/index.html

REFERENCE TEXT BOOKS

VIPULS PRAKASHAN-ANITA BOBADE
HIMALAYA PUBLISHING HOUSE-RIYA RUPANI

pg. 23