Unit 3: Environmental Decision Making Flashcards
Ethical Standards
influenced by the values and moral principles held by a person or culture and are the criteria that help differentiate right from wrong
Utilitarian
“it is valuable because it is useful or beneficial in some way”
Intrinsic
“it is valuable in itself”
Environmental Ethics
the application of ethical standards to relationships between people and nonhuman entities and involves issues of sustainability, environmental justice, and intrinsic values
Anthropocentric Ethical View
human-centered and often ignores the notion that nonhuman entities also have intrinsic value
Biocentric Ethical View
ascribes intrinsic value to all living things, including nonhuman life
Ecocentric Ethical View
assesses actions in terms of their benefit or harm to the integrity of whole ecological systems, both living and nonliving
Preservation Ethic
preserving natural systems intact and for their own intrinsic value; pioneered by John Muir
Conservation Ethic
advocating wise use of natural resources, a utilitarian standard; pioneered by Gifford Pinchot
Aldo Leopold’s “Land Ethic”
called upon humans to include the environmental in their ethical framework
Environmental Justice
positing the important of the fair and equitable treatment of all people with respect to environmental policy and practice, regardless of their income, race, or ethnicity
Economics
the study of how people decide to use potentially scarce resources to provide goods and services in the face of demand for them
Economy
a social system that converts resources into goods and services
Classical Economics
founded by Adam Smith; argues that self-interested economic behavior will benefit society as long as the behavior is constrained by law and private property rights, and is operating within a competitive marketplace
Neoclassical Economics
the psychological factors underlying consumer choices and considers demand, costs, and benefits
Cost-Benefit Analysis
an approach of neoclassical economics; used to evaluate public projects, assessing the capital costs that must be paid in order to gain benefits/value for a large group of people
Economic Growth
an increase in an economy’s production and consumption of goods and services
Externalities
costs affecting members of society other than the immediate buyer or seller
Steady-State Economy
an economy that neither grows nor shrinks, but actually mirrors natural economic ecological systems
Ecological Economics
maintains that civilizations, like natural populations, cannot permanently overcome their limits to growth and should not expect endless economic growth, but should support the principles of stability, steady-state, and sustainability
