The anthropocentric approach to the environmental ethics is one of the main approaches as it touches on a significant part of the relationship between human beings and nature. This approach is the idea that humans are the most valued in the universe and take the central role. In other words, human beings have the power and dominion over other living things in the universe, including plants and animals. The approach gets its roots mainly from the Bible and science. In the Bible, God is said to have given humans the power to look after the creation. Scientists view human beings as being more intelligent than other living things, which gives humans an upper hand to think and feel they have the power to do whatever they can to other creatures. Concerning the environmental ethics, people wielding such an approach to life have less value to sustainability. The point is that the approach has led to human beings doing disservices to the environment (Nanda 31). For instance, the human beings do tree logging, deforestation, hunting, and other practices that tend to interfere with the ecosystem. In so doing, crises such as global warming, flooding, and climate changes among others arise. From a sustainable point of view, it is necessary to maintain what exists and maybe invent new ways of making it better. However, when people do, on the contrary, they lose the meaning of sustainability. The acts of deforestation and other forms of air and water pollution by human beings threaten their survival. In fact, human beings are reducing their rate of survival by engaging in such things. Anthropocentric people should reconsider their stand and move towards the ecocentric approach. Ecocentrism, as explained next is inclined more towards sustainability than is this approach.
Ecocentric is a philosophical term that places intrinsic value on living organism. It is a perspective that relates human being and its natural environment. It just means the values centered towards ecology. Ecocentric contrast anthropocentric, it requires protection and value towards the environment. A human being has control over all other creatures and their surroundings (Ip 48). They can choose to protect or destroy their surroundings. Today, the natural environments have been destroyed due to greed and selfless of a human. The current human trend does not only alter the natural ecosystem; rather it is threatening the sustainability of life. Researchers and environment experts perceive that with ongoing ill-treatment of the environment, human survival is at high risk. Ecocentric acknowledge overseeing and protecting the ecosystem. Its discourage alteration and control over it to obtain optimal sustainability. It is required that all human being treat themselves equally important just like their surroundings. Usually, there have been aspects of humans considering themselves more important than other living, and regarding plants and animals useless. These aspects had led to the destruction of the natural environment leading to unfolding consequences. Today, climate change is common. Currently, the world experiences global warming due to the destruction of the ecosystem. Deforestation has increased rapidly leading to increasing desertification and rainfall shortage. Towards achieving ultimate sustainability, ecocentrism approach on the environment is the way to go. The term values all living things on the earth without discriminating the importance they carry about a human being survival. Humans being are encouraged to take good care of their environment. In order to ensure the nature is balanced, human should protect the plants, the animals, and other natural environment towards achieving long-term sustainability of life. Every organism in the ecosystem has mutual benefit toward each other. Therefore, through equal treatment to the ecosystem, human beings can achieve optimal sustainability. Although ecocentric perception is difficult to achieve today, humans are encouraged to respect and treat non-human species equally in order to improve living ideals and achieve sustainability. Nature is responsible for daily human supplies, natural resources, and improving human standards.
Biocentric approach to environmental ethics advocates for the moral acknowledgment of other non-human living things. It is slightly different from the anthropocentric approach since it considers both humans and other living things as the controls of the universe. Also, the biocentric approach calls for the humans to protect all living things and accord due concern and protection. This approach believes that every living thing has its good value to the entire ecosystem. Although different types of living things have varying ways of organization, adaptation, and maintenance of their survival, they all have similar intrinsic values. The main points of this approach are three: all living organisms have the ability to curb the rising process of entropy, sustaining their survival as the main objective for all living organisms, and despite differences, all living things have their ways of survival and organization (Keller 15). People, who subscribe to this approach can be said to have value to sustainability. When a person starts according to respect to the non-human living things, it implies that various crises being witnessed around the world will not happen. Since such people respect plants, animals, and other living creatures, then they will not do something that harms them. Acts such as deforestation, tree logging, plus other forms of water and air pollution will not occur. Global warming and climate changes experienced around the world would be unheard of. Concerning sustainability, biocentric people value durability and will try their best to maintain it. The biocentric method is one of the best approaches that people should adopt as they try to maintain a sustainable world.
The plan that best represents our viewpoints is the ecocentric method.
Works Cited
Taylor, Paul W. Respect for Nature: A Theory of Environmental Ethics (25th Anniversary Edition). Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011. Internet resource.
Keller, David R. Environmental Ethics: The Big Questions. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print.
Nanda, Ved P. Climate Change and Environmental Ethics. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2011. Print.
Ip, King-Tak. Environmental Ethics: Intercultural Perspectives. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2009. Print.
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