Environmental Ethics

Dr. Bob Lee

Professor,

Sociology of Natural Resources

Forest Health: Ethical Questions and Moral Dilemmas

• Should we allow fires to burn freely in dry Western forests?

• Should be thin out crowded trees to give trees more growing space?

• Should we use controlled fires to remove crowded brush, trees, and dead materials?

--All ethical, not solely scientific, questions--

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Park-like Ponderosa Pine Stand

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Ponderosa Pine with Understory

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Ponderosa Pine Bark

Fire-vulnerable Young Tree

Fire-resistant Old Tee

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Un-thinned Ponderosa Pine

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Crown Fire

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Ponderosa Pine Stand After a Crown Fire

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Thinning Ponderosa Pine: Is Cutting Trees Good?

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Prescribed Burning in Ponderosa: Is it good to control fire?

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Managed Ponderosa Pine Stand: Is this “Natural?” Is this good?

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Questions

1. What are “environmental ethics?”

2. What is the origin of ethics?

3. What are the most common ethical principles governing relations to environment?

4. How are environmental choices affected by ethnical principles?

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What are “environmental ethics?”

• Ethics: “the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or governing a particular group, culture, etc.” (Webster’s)

• Environmental ethics: rules of conduct or principles recognized in respect to treatment of our surroundings, especially natural environment.

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How does ethics differ from morality?

• Morality: “conformity to the rules of right conduct; moral or virtuous conduct” (Webster’s)

• Morality involves choices by individuals

• Moral behavior never absolute

• Moral dilemmas are common in interacting with the environment

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What is the origin of ethics?

• Are there universal rules of conduct governing are treatment of the environment?

• Social or cultural groups define what is right and wrong conduct

• Ethical principles are parochial—vary with time, place, and culture

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Common Ethical Principles in Environmental Relations

• Anthropocentric Ethics– Human welfare

• Biocentric ethics– Rights of nature– Species equivalence (biocentric equality)

• Anthropogenic Ethics– Humans place value on nature

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Environmental Choices Affected by Ethical Principles

• Case example: Forest Health

• How would decisions about Ponderosa Pine Forests be affected by:– Anthropocentric ethics?– Biocentric ethics?– Anthropogenic ethics?

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Anthropocentric Principles

• What is best for human welfare in Ponderosa Pine Forests?– Wood products– Jobs– Fire-safe environment to work, live, and play– Reduced costs of fire suppression

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Biocentric Principles

• What is best for “nature?”– Humans should not disturb natural processes– Nature should take her own path– Wildfires are “natural,” hence regenerating– Humans should not make profits from natural

things (e.g., trees)– Cutting trees, especially large trees, is wrong– Trees have the same right to live as humans

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Anthropogenic Principles• Forests only known through screen (lens)of human

values• Humans place value on forests—both anthropocentric

and biocentric• Values are diverse and often conflicting in

modern/post-modern societies• Moral pluralism is fundamental to forest policy and

management—especially forest health– Preserving forests costs people jobs, wood, and taxes– Pragmatic choice to cut trees offends those whose mission is

to protect nature

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Take Home Lessons

• Environmental ethics are constructed by humans, not discovered in nature

• Little social consensus on environmental ethics—contested viewpoints and positions—moral pluralism

• Moral choices are never absolute—always involve moral dilemmas and ambiguity

• Human values are at the center of every attempt to apply environmental ethics

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