Preface
Philosophy is the study of knowledge, being, and reality. One of its branches is Ethics, the study of values and behavior. Ethics is concerned with "right" and "wrong", and in particular, with what is "good" for individuals and society. Its three primary principles are: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. A simple definition would be: a code of conduct for human good. Socrates was the Father of Ethics in the western world.
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The Ethical Problem in Relation to the Cessation of Environmental Damage
As detailed to a degree in previous posts here, the Powers-That-Be in most countries around the world have opted (for decades) to implement neoliberal economics in their lands... resulting in severe, worldwide environmental damage. Despite efforts to mitigate that damage, it continues to this day. Most ecologists agree that's because, rather than Aldo Leopold's "Land Ethic" (or something similar), countries have chosen to follow the neoliberal path of unlimited growth and overconsumption.
Even in countries that are attempting to "go green", the prevailing ethic is "growthism" not sustainability. More and more perpetual growth apparently is mistakenly viewed as "good" for society. History disagrees with that assessment.
Despite the shrinking of nonrenewable natural resources and the overharvesting of renewable natural resources, human populations (in general) have been indoctrinated to accept without question the idea that economic growth must continually expand for the good of individuals and society. "Going green" supposedly will solve the problems of ecological/environmental damage. That most likely will help a bit, but only a bit. Much more is needed. Here's why.
1. The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it only can be transformed from one type to another.
2. Because of entropy, every time energy is transformed some of it is lost as dispersed heat. "Lost" means it's no longer available to do "work" because it's too dispersed.
3. As a result, because of entropy nothing can be 100% recycled. So, nonrenewable mineral resources (e.g., rare earth minerals which are gobbled up by high tech industries) will continue to shrink.
4. Although solar energy is renewable, it obviously has to be captured. If the rate of consumption of solar power exceeds the rate of the in-flow and capture of solar energy, then sooner or later, consumption has to be limited.
5. While the stock of solar energy (the sun) is super-abundant, the in-flow and capture of it are limited.
6. Whether "green" or not, all material economic growth consumes resources and produces wastes. That's even true of service industries such as health care, education, taxi service, tourism, and others.
7. Ever-increasing growth results in an ever-increasing flow of "throughput":
resources from Earth's ecosystems to the economic subsystem, and then back to ecosystems as wastes. Sooner or later, throughput will exceed Earth's resource regeneration and waste assimilation capacities.
8. Renewable resources, such as ocean fish and trees, are being overharvested already. More and more economic growth will exacerbate the problem.
All the above means sustainability is nowhere in sight. It also means that, first and foremost, we have a massive ethical problem. Without a paradigm shift in the cultural and ethical thinking & behavior of humans, serious ecological damage on Earth will continue. Why? Because the Powers-That-Be are firmly locked onto the path of unlimited growth and overconsumption. The only way to change that is from the ground up, not the top down... and, in my opinion, that won't happen until a majority of us (or at least a significantly large number of us) adopt what ecologists call "eco-ethics" (or ecoethics). Only then will people gravitate to demanding the implementation of ecological economics.
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Here's a declaration by which to live---
https://www.int-res.com/articles/esep/2002/E21.pdf
[It will warm your heart.]
It's a short read. Have a look, and, as best you can, try to live by it. Thanks. Younger generations thank you as well.
[NOTE--- At the above page, the print can be enlarged by moving your cursor to the lower right-hand side.]
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Not only my opinion. Stay Well
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