Environmental Ethics aims to equip Learners with the ability to examine ethical frameworks, values, rights and responsibilities in environmental decision-making and practice. Learners analyse different philosophical approaches to human-environment relationships, evaluate ethical arguments in environmental controversies and apply ethical reasoning to professional environmental practice. Upon successful completion, Learners have a comprehensive understanding of environmental ethics and its application to policy, management and personal conduct. This unit forms part of the ICM Level 6 Environmental Science Professional Qualification.
Environmental Ethics
- Scope of environmental ethics
- Ethics matters for environmental issues
- Historical development of environmental ethics
- Key figures and texts (Leopold, Carson, Naess, Singer, etc.)
- Environmental ethics as applied philosophy
- Relationship to Environmental Science
Meta-Ethics and Normative Frameworks
- Meta-ethical concepts: values, norms, duties, consequences
- Consequentialism and utilitarianism
- Deontology and rights-based approaches
- Virtue ethics
- Care ethics and relational approaches
- Applying frameworks to environmental cases
Anthropocentrism and Its Critiques
- Definition and forms of anthropocentrism
- The Judeo-Christian stewardship tradition
- Enlightenment humanism and rationalism
- Critiques of anthropocentrism
- Weak versus strong anthropocentrism
- Anthropocentrism in environmental policy
Biocentrism and the Intrinsic Value of Life
- Albert Schweitzer's reverence for life
- Paul Taylor's biocentrism and respect for nature
- The concept of intrinsic value
- Moral considerability of living beings
- Biocentric approaches to conservation
- Criticisms and limitations of biocentrism
Ecocentrism and Holistic Ethics
- Aldo Leopold's land ethic
- Arne Naess and deep ecology
- Gaia hypothesis and Earth systems thinking
- Ecological holism: wholes greater than parts
- Ecosystem health and integrity
- Ecocentrism in practice
Animal Ethics
- Peter Singer and animal liberation
- Tom Regan and animal rights
- Moral status of animals
- Speciesism and its critiques
- Animal welfare versus animal rights
- Implications for environmental policy and practice
Environmental Justice
- Origins of environmental justice movement
- Distributive justice and environmental goods/bads
- Procedural justice and participation
- Recognition justice and cultural difference
- Global environmental justice
- Case studies of environmental injustice
Intergenerational and Intragenerational Equity
- Obligations to future generations
- The non-identity problem
- Discounting the future in environmental economics
- Justice between current generations
- Climate justice and the common but differentiated responsibilities principle
- Rights of future persons
Indigenous and Traditional Environmental Ethics
- Indigenous worldviews and relationship with nature
- Traditional ecological knowledge
- Land as relative, not commodity
- Reciprocity and responsibility
- Indigenous rights and environmental governance
- Learning from Indigenous ethics
Climate Change Ethics
- Ethical dimensions of climate change
- Responsibility for emissions: historical and current
- Adaptation and loss/damage ethics
- Climate justice frameworks
- Carbon budgets and fair shares
- Ethical issues in climate geoengineering
Biodiversity and Conservation Ethics
- Why value biodiversity? Instrumental and intrinsic
- Conservation priorities: which species and places to save?
- Rewilding and restoration ethics
- Invasive species management ethics
- Zoos, captive breeding and genetic conservation
- Community-based conservation ethics
Ethics of Pollution and Waste
- Polluter pays principle and its ethical foundations
- Waste disposal and environmental burden
- Plastic pollution and consumer responsibility
- Chemical pollution and precaution
- Circular economy ethics
- Waste colonialism and global flows
Food and Agriculture Ethics
- Industrial agriculture and its environmental impacts
- Factory farming and animal welfare
- Sustainable agriculture ethics
- Food sovereignty and food justice
- Genetically modified organisms: ethical debates
- Plant-based and cultured meat ethics
Professional Environmental Ethics
- Codes of ethics for environmental professionals
- Whistleblowing and speaking truth to power
- Conflicts of interest in environmental practice
- Ethics of environmental consulting
- Corporate environmental responsibility
- Ethical decision-making frameworks
Environmental Ethics in Policy and Law
- Rights of nature and legal personhood for ecosystems
- Precautionary principle in policy
- Environmental impact assessment as ethical process
- Public participation and deliberative ethics
- International environmental ethics
- Future directions for environmental law
Personal Environmental Ethics
- Individual responsibility versus collective action
- Lifestyle choices and environmental impact
- Consumption ethics
- Activism and civil disobedience for the environment
- Moral psychology and environmental behaviour
- Cultivating environmental virtues
Example Candidate Response Booklet
Example Candidate Response (ECR) Booklets are a source of crucial information for Centres and Candidates as they use real candidate responses. We ask Senior Examiners to comment on five or more responses in terms of why the mark was awarded with commentary about how to improve the answer (if necessary).
