Environmental Ethics

Ethics is a discipline concerned with moral obligations, with emphesis on right and wrong. Our obligation towards the environment and other species is environmental ethics. We are right now over exercising our right and failing in our duty towards the environment. We have a right to draw from the environment but not to degrade the environment for other species and for future generations. Polluting the environment and depleting the natural resources are dangerous and selfish human acts. The right ethical behaviour would be for man to make a sincere effort to repair the environment and allow the natural resources to renew themselves so that all species may survive in nature.

Environmental ethics should conform to our cultural heritage and our religious traditional environmental ethics demand that man should change his present attitude towards nature. He should learn to live as part of nature and not as master of nature.

Environmental ethics should become a part and parcel of human life. Only this can save the environment and wild life and us.

Environmental Legislation

Environmental legislation means laws for the protection of the environment. Some of the important environmental laws are

1) 1972 - UN conference on Human Environment held in Stockolm recommended that

a) People should be educated about the cause of environmental deterioration and ways to check it.

b) Everybody has a responsibility towards protecting and improving the environment.

c) Seas should not be used as dumping areas for pollutants as it affects marine life.

d) Every state should ensure that its pollutants do not spoil the environment of other states.

2) 1976 - Indian Constitution was amended to incorporate that

a) The state shall endeavour to protect and improve the natural environment and safeguard the forests and wild life in the country.

b) It should be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have compassion for all living creatures.

3) 1987 - Amendment of Factories Act

It reads that the owner shall make effective arrangement for treating the wastes and effluents so as to render them innocuous for their disposal.

4) 1988 - Amendment of Motor Vehicle Act

It requires that the manufacturers to ensure that the vehicle does not cause pollution.

5) 1988 - Amendment of Water Act (Prevention and Control of Pollution)

It has made the treatment of sewage and trade effluents compulsory so that water pollution is prevented.

6) 1991 - Amendment of Wild Life Act

It prohibits hunting and trapping of wild life and trade in wild life products.

Earth Watch

United Nations has recently taken up an exciting new programme named "earth watch". It will provide monitoring, research, evaluation, control and exchange of information about the world environment.

Inspite of many laws biodiversity is not conserved and wild life is suffering loss. The inspecting machinery should be effective and law enforcement authorities should be more vigilant and strict. Educating the masses could go a long way to protect the environment. Private efforts by environmental organisations can also help.