5-1 Chapter 5 Discussion: Ethics and the Environment Paul L. Schumann, Ph.D. © 2004 by Paul L. Schumann. All rights reserved.

5-2 Ethics of Pollution Control  Why does treating the air and water as free goods result in pollution?  Why does treating the environment as an unlimited good result in pollution?  What is ecological ethics (deep ecology)?

5-3 Ethics of Pollution Control  Animal rights argument: pollution threatens the rights of all animals (not just humans)  PETA Summary:  Do all animals (not just humans) have moral rights? Why or why not?  Do all living things (not just animals, but plants) have moral rights? Why or why not?  Do all things in existence (not just living things, but lakes, rivers, mountains) have moral rights? Why or why not?

5-4 Ethics of Pollution Control  Human rights argument: pollution threatens human rights  Do humans have a moral right to a livable environment? Why or why not? If humans have a right to a livable environment, what corresponding duties exist?If humans have a right to a livable environment, what corresponding duties exist? If humans have a right to a livable environment, and if that right conflicts with property rights, which right should take precedence? Why?If humans have a right to a livable environment, and if that right conflicts with property rights, which right should take precedence? Why? If the right to a livable environment takes precedence over property rights, is it feasible to stop all pollution? Explain.If the right to a livable environment takes precedence over property rights, is it feasible to stop all pollution? Explain.

5-5 Ethics of Pollution Control  How does the utilitarian principle help us analyze environmental problems?  What is meant by private cost?  What is meant by external cost?  What is meant by social cost?

5-6 Ethics of Pollution Control  Why is the divergence between private costs and social costs (i.e., the presence of external costs) a problem in a market economy?  What are the 3 deficiencies that occur?  What is the remedy for external costs?  How can the external costs associated with pollution be internalized?

5-7 Ethics of Pollution Control  What about distributive justice—how does the utilitarian way of dealing with pollution by internalizing the costs associated with pollution also achieve distributive justice?  What about retributive justice?  What about compensatory justice?  According to the utilitarian principle, how much should an organization invest in pollution control?

5-8 Ethics of Pollution Control  What is the view of social ecology?  What is the view of eco-feminism?  How does social ecology and eco-feminism relate to the ethics of care?

5-9 Ethics of Resource Conservation  What is meant by resource conservation?  Do future generations have an equal right to limited resources as us, so that we have a duty to save resources for them? Why or why not?  What are the 3 arguments for why they don’t have an equal right as us to limited resources?

5-10 Ethics of Resource Conservation  How can the ideas of John Rawls be used to decide how to fairly allocate resources across the generations?  What does the ethics of care suggest about resource conservation?

5-11 Ethics of Resource Conservation  What does the utilitarian principle say about resource conservation?  What difficulties are there in relying on the free market to allocate resources across the generations?  Is economic growth good or bad? Why?

5-12 Case: Genetic Engineering  What moral issues are involved in genetic engineering?  Does Monsanto have an obligation to delay marketing of genetically engineered organisms until more tests have been done?  If Monsanto has an obligation to delay marketing until more tests are done, to whom does it owe that obligation?  Can we ever be 100% certain that something is safe? How much testing is enough? Why?

5-13 Case: Genetic Engineering  Is it ethical for Monsanto to sell genetically engineered organisms?  Do companies that sell products that contain genetically engineered organisms have an obligation to tell consumers? Why or why not?  Should the government regulate genetically engineered organisms? Why or why not?