Environmental Ethics Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What is a fundamental aspect of environmental ethics?

  • Focusing on individual sense over collective responsibility
  • Considering human needs only
  • Recognizing the moral status of the Earth and its creatures (correct)
  • Prioritizing economic growth over environmental protection

    • What is the core concept underlying the value of the Earth and its creatures in environmental ethics?

  • Instrumental value based on human needs
  • Cultural value based on human perception
  • Economic value based on resource extraction
  • Intrinsic value based on their existence (correct)

    • What is the main focus of environmental ethics as a branch of applied philosophy?

  • Evaluating the effectiveness of environmental policies
  • Promoting sustainable development practices
  • Analyzing the moral foundations of environmental values (correct)
  • Studying the impact of human actions on the environment

    • What is a key challenge in establishing global ethical commitments for environmental protection?

    <p>Cultural relativism and differing ethical commitments</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role can personal ethical commitments play in environmental protection?

    <p>Guiding behavior in the absence of supporting laws</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key consideration in environmental ethics regarding future generations?

    <p>Determining our moral responsibility</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary contribution of religions to addressing environmental issues?

    <p>Rethinking our current environmental impasse</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main idea behind the development approach to nature?

    <p>The Earth and its resources exist solely for human benefit and pleasure</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who are some notable preservationists mentioned in the text?

    <p>John Muir, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary goal of sustainable development?

    <p>To meet the needs of current generations without compromising future generations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the balance between unrestrained development and preservationism?

    <p>Conservationism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the 1987 UN-sponsored document that first used the term 'sustainable development'?

    <p>The Brundtland Report</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary goal of a corporation?

    <p>To generate a financial return for its shareholders</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the three pillars of sustainable development, according to the United Nations?

    <p>Economic development, social development, and environmental protection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main idea behind the conservation approach to nature?

    <p>Promoting human well-being while considering long-term human goods</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the practice of presenting a false green public image by a company?

    <p>Greenwashing</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main reason why affluent members of society tend to generate most of the waste?

    <p>Because they have a higher consumption rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the idea that nature has intrinsic value apart from human uses?

    <p>Ecocentric</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of the ISO 14000 program?

    <p>To encourage industries to adopt environmentally friendly production practices</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?

    <p>To achieve sustainable development for all</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of a corporation's decision to dump waste in a river rather than installing a wastewater treatment facility?

    <p>The externalization of costs to the public</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between a corporation's profit margin and its expansion plans?

    <p>A higher profit margin leads to an increase in expansion plans</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the unfair distribution of environmental consequences among different groups of people?

    <p>Environmental justice</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of the CERES principles?

    <p>To encourage corporate social responsibility</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of the Erin Brockovich case in 1996?

    <p>A $333 million settlement</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between a corporation's power and its influence over decision makers?

    <p>A corporation's power has a positive influence over decision makers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main goal of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)?

    <p>To develop globally applicable guidelines for reporting on economic, environmental, and social performance</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the key principle of industrial ecology?

    <p>Modeling industrial production and biological production</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the estimated amount of money saved by 3M Company through its Pollution Prevention Pays (3P) program?

    <p>$500 million</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the concept that businesses can both expand their profits and take good care of the environment?

    <p>Natural capitalism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main concern related to water consumption?

    <p>Water may limit consumerism in the next century</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the measure of the pressure that humans exert on the planet?

    <p>Ecological footprint</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the day when humans have already consumed the resources that the planet can produce in one year?

    <p>Earth Overshoot Day</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main cause of hunger, according to the text?

    <p>Food distribution</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the concept that includes social, environmental, and financial concerns?

    <p>Triple bottom line</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of the 3P program at 3M Company?

    <p>Significant cost savings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary focus of anthropocentrism?

    <p>Human beings as the most important</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which perspective considers both biotic and abiotic factors as important?

    <p>Ecocentrism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difference between biocentrism and ecocentrism?

    <p>Biocentrism focuses on living components, while ecocentrism focuses on the ecosystem</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT a primary focus of anthropocentrism, biocentrism, or ecocentrism?

    <p>Economic growth</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do anthropocentrism, biocentrism, and ecocentrism have in common?

    <p>They are all environmental ethics perspectives</p> Signup and view all the answers

    “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise….We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect." Who said this quote?

    <p>Aldo Leopold</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did preservationists like John Muir, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman view nature as?

    <p>A refuge from economic activity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Names of Preservationists

    <p>John Muir, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What's another word for conservationism?

    <p>Sustainable development</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars of sustainable development?

    <p>Social development, economic development, environment protection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the Brundtland report?

    <p>it is a 1987 UN-sponsored document that aims to meet the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Environmental Ethics

    • The Earth and its creatures have moral status, deserving of ethical concern.
    • The Earth and its creatures have intrinsic value, possessing moral value merely because they exist, not only because they meet human needs.
    • Human beings should consider "wholes" that include other forms of life and the environment, based on the concept of an ecosystem.

    Environmental Ethics as a Branch of Philosophy

    • Environmental ethics is a branch of applied philosophy that studies the conceptual foundations of environmental values and concrete issues surrounding societal attitudes, actions, and policies to protect and sustain biodiversity and ecological systems.

    Ethical Commitments and Laws

    • Ethical commitments can and should be globally agreed upon, despite differences in cultural relativism.
    • A strong personal ethical commitment can guide behavior in the absence of supporting laws.
    • Laws can reflect ethical commitments, but individual sense and legislation can conflict.

    The Greening of Religion

    • Environmental issues were initially considered the concern of scientists, lawyers, and policymakers.
    • The natural world figures prominently in major religions, and religious leaders recognize their role in shaping culture and values.
    • Religions can contribute to rethinking environmental issues.

    Three Philosophical Approaches to Environmental Ethics

    • Three approaches to environmental ethics: Development, Preservation, and Conservation.
    • Development approach: assumes human mastery over nature, prioritizing human creativity and economic growth.
    • Preservation approach: holds that nature has intrinsic value, prioritizing aesthetic or recreational reasons.
    • Conservation approach: promotes human well-being while considering long-term human goods, balancing development and preservation.

    Sustainable Development

    • Sustainable development: meeting the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.
    • A middle ground that promotes development while preserving ecological health.
    • Includes economic development, social development, and environmental protection.

    Environmental Justice

    • Fair treatment: no group should bear a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences.
    • Related to civil rights, encompassing issues like hazardous facility placement, transportation, safe housing, and access to environmental information.

    Corporate Environmental Ethics

    • Corporations have ethical obligations to the public and the environment, despite their primary purpose being to generate a financial return.
    • Shareholders can demand that directors run the corporation ethically.
    • Ethics are involved in waste disposal and production quality, considering public and environmental well-being.

    Corporate Environmental Responsibility

    • Greenwashing: presenting a green public image while externalizing costs.
    • ISO 14000: encouraging industries to adopt environmentally sensitive production practices.
    • CERES Principles: 10 business practices to sustainably use natural resources and reduce waste.
    • GRI's Sustainability Reporting Guidelines: developing globally applicable guidelines for reporting on economic, environmental, and social performance.

    Green Business Concepts

    • Industrial ecology: modeling industrial production on biological production, minimizing waste and environmental risk.
    • Natural capitalism: businesses can expand profits while taking good care of the environment.
    • The triple bottom line: social, environmental, and financial concerns.

    The Ethics of Consumption

    • Water: humans use half the planet's accessible supply, which may limit consumerism in the next century.
    • Wild Nature: 1000-2000 hectares of farmland and natural areas are lost daily to development.
    • Food: production, not distribution, is the cause of hunger.
    • Energy: known oil reserves will not last through the century, and alternative technologies are being developed.

    Personal Choices

    • Eating locally produced, low-impact food reduces environmental impact.
    • Buying durable products and reusing or repairing products reduces raw materials extraction.
    • Ecological footprint: measures the pressure humans exert on the planet, expressed in global hectares or number of planets.
    • Carbon footprint: assesses the impact of human activities on the environment, considering all greenhouse gases.
    • Earth Overshoot Day: the moment when humans have consumed the resources the planet can produce in one year.

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    Description

    This quiz covers the fundamental principles of environmental ethics, including the moral status of the Earth and its creatures, environmental values, and sustainable development. It also explores the connections between environmental ethics and religion, corporate responsibility, and personal choices.

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