Environmental ethics

CASES
In the most general sense, environmental ethics invites us to consider three key propositions:

1. the Earth and its creatures have moral status
   -- they are worthy of our ethical concern;
2. the Earth and its creatures have intrinsic value
   -- they are worthy not because they serve us, but simply because they exist;
3. the Earth and its creatures obligate human planning
   -- their worth emerges as part of the larger ecosystem of which we ourselves are a part
   The following are sample cases to look at to help people to figure out how to think about issues in environmental ethics. Write a brief (~ 1-5 pages) summary of how you would solve the case problem.
4. A new trash disposal site will be created that will increase recycling and also incinerate trash to create a new source of energy. This facility will need to be located very close to the population center and may increase emissions of some harmful chemicals.
5. A new law proposes to stop construction of new buildings in a greenbelt that extends for five miles around your hometown. This greenbelt would allow for regrowth of forests, new parks, and allow for more local agriculture. The law would also limit available housing and likely force many poorer residents to leave in search of affordable housing.
6. A grocery store chain is seeking to source more meat locally and has proposed a project to build several buildings around town to raise livestock in confinement. The animals would live indoor in close quarters, but it would spare land for nature, and save on fuel for shipping the meat into town from someplace farther away.
7. An oil and gas exploration company has approached your town about buying or leasing the rights to drill for and extract fuels from underneath your town. This will create income, some jobs, and potentially lower the cost of heating and electricity. It will also significantly change the local landscape for years to come.
8. Consider the idea of a ‘special place.’ Is there a place somewhere in the world that you consider special -- a special environment or ecosystem -- whose value is especially important to you? Describe this ‘special place’ and offer some ideas for arguing for preserving it in the face of the march of progress and all the changes we have seen taking place around the world.
9. Consider taking a walk in some environment. Many philosophers have sought inspiration from walking -- Plato, Thoreau, Emerson, Nietzsche and Heidegger are a few. What special insights come to mind for you while walking -- for example in Forest Park here in Portland? Thoreau argued that careful attention to the interworkings of living things taught important lessons, and that preserving wildness was crucial for spiritual well being. Do these claims resonate with you -- do you think they are true -- why or why not?