Environmental issues

Question 1

What is Environmentalism?

Answer 1

A concern with the long-term effect of human activities, the survival of species and the health of the environment.

Question 2

Define stewardship

Answer 2

The idea that God has given humanity the task of looking after the Earth.

Question 3

Define conservation

Answer 3

The idea that humanity should protect natural resources and the environment and maintain them for the future.

Question 4

Key quote in Genesis

Answer 4

Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth - Genesis 1:26

Question 5

What do Christians believe about stewardship?

Answer 5

Humans were created by God in order to care for the rest of creation
Humans have a responsibility to look after God’s creation
There is strong tradition of love and care for the environment among Christian saints.

Question 6

What are modern ethical implications of stewardship?

Answer 6

• Evangelical churches - strongly support that Christians should care for the earth and prevent activities that harm God’s creation
• The church of England states God has entrusted the world to humankind - we are responsible for it
• The Catholic church - Humans are created in the image of God - just as God maintains the universe - role of humans is to maintain God’s creation (be responsible for it)

Question 7

What is conservation?

Answer 7

Many Christians take because of central idea of stewardship
Refers to protection of natural resources and environment from dangers of climate change and human activities (deforestation, pollution)

Question 8

Why is conserving the environment necessary?

Answer 8

It’s necessary to protect future generations of animals but also future generations of humanity.

Question 9

Define anthropocentric

Answer 9

Centred on humanity

Question 10

What is the difference between stewardship and dominion?

Answer 10

Dominion means humanity’s right to control and have power over the land and all other living beings. Stewardship refers to the responsibilities to the land that come with the right and power.

Question 11

Define secular

Answer 11

Unconnected with or independent of religion

Question 12

What is deep ecology and who advocated it?

Answer 12

DE = a belief that human and non-human species are equal and nature has intrinsic value

Advocated by - Arne Naess

Question 13

What did Arne Naess argue about DE?

Answer 13

He argued that nature has intrinsic value regardless of it’s utility to humans
All living beings should be able to flourish and evolve naturally
Environmentalism shouldn’t just be about conservation - but about a consideration of the worth of nature and ecosystems
Humans have a moral obligation to protect the environment

Question 14

What are the five points that Naess argued for?

Answer 14

^ radically reduce Earth's population
^ abandon all goals of economic growth
^ conserve diversity of species
^ live in small, self-reliant communities
^ minimise our impact on the environment

Question 15

What is shallow ecology?

Answer 15

Mostly focuses on conservation
It values the environment but doesn’t give it intrinsic worth as DE does
Natural world has instrumental value as a means to an end

Question 16

Examples of what shallow ecology would argue for

Answer 16

^ Biodiversity needs to be sustained because plants can provide essential medicines.
^ Rainforest should be preserved on the basis of it’s utility as the Earth’s lungs

Question 17

What is a problem with shallow ecology?

Answer 17

It doesn’t take into account the value we give to nature and the environment - people enjoy spending time in the natural world and admire it’s beauty - we have moral responsibilities to the natural world - its worth beyond the uses we ascribe it.

Question 18

What is the Gaia hypothesis / Eco-holism?

Answer 18

• Created by James Lovelock
• Gaia - Greek term for the Earth’s goddess
• Lovelock combined the term to symbolise the earth as a sustaining & nurturing system

Question 19

How does Lovelock see the earth?

Answer 19

• As a single living entity, a kind of super-organism.
• Living beings and non living entities are *interdependent
• The earth has a self-regulating mechanism

Question 20

What is Peter Singer’s view on animal welfare?

Answer 20

• Insists that animals have intrinsic value and animals can feel pain + pleasure
• Argues that since we don’t eat, kill or experiment on babies - we should have the same respect for animals.
• If we have a responsibility to weaker humans, we also do for animals

Question 21

What is speciesism?

Answer 21

The assumption that humans are superior than animals

Singer argues against speciesism - for him, this view is a prejudice akin to racism.