Environmental Ethics Flashcards
Wha are environmental ethics?
Application of ethical standards to relationships between humans and the world around us
What is the difference between morals and ethics?
Judgement or right/wrong
Morals - an individual’s own principles regarding right and wrong, our own values that she judgments
How does the Coal Creek Mine in the Puerto Madryn area give rise to the trade off between right and wrong?
Local protectors protesting the environment vs those wanting economic growth.
Trade off between environmental protection and economic growth
Create jobs vs protect environment
What are typical questions regarding environmental ethics?
- Are natural resources truly limited?
- Should we conserve them for future generations? Is there much need?
- Should humans drive other species to extinction?
- Is it ok to destroy the Puerto Madryn area to create jobs for people?
How does culture influence ethical dilemmas?
The environment in which we grow up in informs right and wrong
“Collective programming of the mind which is largely invisible and unconscious” (Hofstede, 1987)
How is culture a living set of relationships?
Between community, global humanity, society, environment, self awareness - constantly being renegotiated
Relationship dynamic depends on feedback loops
Culture is messy, not limited to impersonal collective but core unit is individual
What is individualism as a social culture dimension?
A society in which the ties between individuals are loose - everyone is expected to look after self and immediate family only
E.g North America and North Europe
What is collectivism as a cultural dimension?
A society in which individuals from birth onwards are part of strong groups
What are individualist groups of self?
- Independent view
- Emphasis on personal traits
- Contstrued as autonomous entity
- Consistent between moral judgements and moral behaviour
What are collectivist views of self?
- Defined in terms of we rather than I
- Individuals belong to in groups
- People perceive themselves as members of their in group
- Moral judgement and moral behaviour less clear
What are our perceptions of environmental protection as a cultural matter rooted in?
- Our morals
- Our behaviours
- Our attitudes
- Our priorities
How are those in responsible careers not driven by the desire to make a change in individualist cultures?
People take jobs because they need jobs not because they want to make change
How is the drive for responsible careers different in collectivist cultures?
Driven by in-group influences - senior CSR consultants developing environmental managements systems in line with client requirements regardless of reason why
How does culture inform ethical viewpoints?
World views are shaped by 4 cultural descriptors which inform 4 main views of ethics: Universalists Relativsts Nihilists Utilitarians
What are the ethical views of universalists?
- Principles of ethics are universal, unchanging and eternal
- Morally obligated to act in accordance with a certain set of principles regardless of outcome
- Based on insights from Plato Kant
- Religious, we are not social entities, something higher defines right and wrong
What are the ethical views of relativists?
- Moral principles relative to a particular person
- Ethical views are contextual - depend on the person, society and situation
- There is a right and wrong, a better and worse, no principles are absolute
- Based on insights from sophists: depends on the situation
How do individualists and collectivists differ in terms of cultural ethical views?
Individualists more black and white. They don’t want anything to sacrifice their freedom or success.
In collectivist societies, they are more relativist because they think for the community - I becomes We
What are the ethical views of nihilists?
- There is no mean or purpose to life other than the instinctive struggle for survival
- There is no reason to behave morally
- There is no such thing as the good life
- Life is uncertain
- Based on insights from Schopenhauer
- Those who suffer the most from environmental degradation most likely to have these views
What are the utilitarian views of environmental ethics?
- An action is right that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people
- Based on insights from Bentham and Mill
How do the cultural and ethical insights form different perceptions of the environment?
- Planetary management: prevalent in the west i.e Donald Trump
- Stewardship: developing countries as environmental impacts are worse
- Environmental wisdom
What is planetary management?
- Believing we have the knowledge to ensure resources aren’t limited
- We are the most important species, in charge of the earth
- We can use nature to satisfy our economic needs, potential for economic growth unlimited
- Use natural environment to satisfy our needs, success depends on how we manage earth resources for our own benefit
What is stewardship?
- Most important species but ethical responsibility to care for the rest of nature
- We probably won’t run out of resources but shouldn’t waste them
- We should encourage environmentally beneficial forms of economic growth and discourage harmful ones
- Success depends on how well we manage the earth;;s life support systems for our benefit and the rest of nature
What is environmental wisdom?
- Nature exists for all species and we are not in charge
- Resources are limited, should not be wasted and are not ours
- We should encourage earth-sustaining forms of economic growth and discourage degrading forms
- Our success depends on learning how the earth sustains itself and integrating such lessons into our behaviour
What are the three different environmental ethics and which environmental perception informs them?
Conservation ethic: use natural resources wisely for the good of most people (planetary management)
Preservation ethic: unspoiled nature should be protected for its own inherent value (stewardship)
Land ethic - healthy ecological systems depend on protecting all parts (environmental wisdom)
What is the concept of environmental justice?
- The poor and minorities are exposed to more pollution, hazards and degradation
- There is nothing moral about tempting a starving man with money
- Rich people don’t want to deal with environmental impacts of production - the reason why factories end up in poor communities e.g North England
How can social and environmental sustainability be a solution?
- Sustainable development
- Meet the needs of the present without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet theirs
- Development differs to growth - implies critical need to use natural resources
What are the fundamental challenges with environmental sustainability?
- We live on a planet with limited natural resources
- Flaws in economic thinking, globalisation, populism and the way we assess knowledge intensifies pressures
- Environmental justice
What does Tilley (2000) say about small firm environmental ethics?
Two approaches to environmental ethics:
- Define code of conduct for ethics: environment valued from a human-centric perspective and moral justification for protection is to minimise human cost
- Ecologically sound ethics will only emerge from a new paradigm - new way of thinking about sustainability. Promoting the need for a new world view
What does Tilley (2000) outlines as the most common attitudinal barriers to ethics among small firms?
- Ethics and business don’t mix
- It doesn’t pay to be ethical
- If it is legal, it is ethical
- Compared to others, this economy is ethical
What does Tilley (2000) argue about state regulation and self regulation for small firm ethics?
- Managers don’t support self regulation due to resource demands needed to administer and enforce
- Firms thought they weren’t educated enough to identify what actions they need to take in order to manage environmental responsibilities
- Need state regulation as well as self
What do Cambra-Fierro, Hart and Polo-Redondo (2007) conclude about environmental ethics?
- Market forces are insufficient to regulate the impact of companies: need a set of norms for each industry
- Some companies will increase commitment because of CA, management philosophy, economic profit
- Need to identify value system of owners in order to rectify potential deviations from environmental respect
- Investment in public institutions and specific training essential
