1. Environmental Ethics (EE)
The “Who, what, where, and how”
Unit 3: Resources Sustainability

2. EE – The “Who” Ethics are usually considered in intrapersonal terms
EE encourages us to think how groups interact, and how we interact with
the natural world
Stakeholders include far-
reaching people, in place
and time – moral status
Example: who are the
stakeholders of an
endangered species?

3. EE – The “When” In these decisions, our actions may be…
Cumulative
Long-lasting
Hidden in the near future
Example: nuclear waste
Seventh generation movement - in our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.
Do future generations have moral status in the debate over climate change?
Native American Iroquois Confederacy

4. EE – The “Where” Invites us to consider the
interconnectedness of the natural
world
Runoff and burning of coal
But also personal actions
Emphasis on “wholes” – one drop raises the sea
our isolated action may well occur within an existing biological system, in which a small effect in one place may ripple out widely
Do you know where your household waste ends up?

5. EE – The “How” Ethical v. Empirical Risk, harm, and prediction
Are claims based on evidence or ideologies?
How can we determine this? (stay tuned)
Risk, harm, and prediction
If the effect is more likely to occur, then ethically, it should take a higher priority
Absolute, instrumental, and intrinsic value
Must it be protected, or does it depend on its value.
In your opinion, what kind of value do animals hold?
Define the values

6. YOUR Environmental Philosophy
Involves thinking about your relationship with the Earth
Ethics is about connecting head and heart, but too often we become too logical in our ethical reasoning
For homework, you’ll read an excerpt from Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Almanac and reflect on the reading and how it compares to what you believe
NOTE: This is your 5th entry in your journal! They are due to me as one, put-together notebook by November 29th/30th

7. Aldo Leopold
Conservationist, forester, philosopher, educator, writer, and outdoor enthusiast
Most famous for his idea of the “Land Ethic” – calls for an ethical, caring relationship between people and nature
Led ecological restoration experiments from his worn out home called “the Shack.”

8. Follow-Up Observations
Students will go to the outdoor classroom and make 5 observations about how the habitat has changed since we made them in September.
Students should record these observations in their environmental science journal! (collected 11/29-30). Here is the list of entries:
Initial observations (5)
Air Pollution log (1/4 sheet)
An Inconvenient Sequel reflection (1 page)
Follow-up observations (5)
Sand County Almanac/your philosophy (1 page)