Sustainable Development- Environmental Ethics Relationship Within Eu Environmental Policies

Sustainable Development- Environmental Ethics Relationship Within Eu Environmental Policies

Özcan , Sezer

Environmental problems and approaches to environment have an important place within EU policies. There are major impacts of economic development on the inclusion of environmental issues to the Union‘s area of interest, which aims to integrate European Countries through economic, political and cultural areas and which foresees the free flow of capital, goods, services, labor. It is crucial to form environmental values and provide the member countries to internalize them in order to sustain development without giving harm to environment. In this context, environmental ethics reveals a conflict from the perspective of sustainable development. There emerges an area of conflict between attaining economic, social and cultural development on the one hand and taking into consideration of environmental values and environmental ethics during this process on the other hand. The desire to improve the living conditions at the member countries through providing economic, social and cultural development and to upgrade quality of life to a common level around the whole Europe are the reasons why the Union poses a common environmental policy. The increasing pressures on natural resources have put economic sustainability problem on the agenda and new problem areas such as climate change, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have revealed their reality in everyday life. Sustaining improvements in urban and rural residential areas; developing health precautions, eradicating regional inequalities can only be possible through sustaining a healthy and well balanced environment. One approach in environmental ethics bases on the responsibilities of current generation to future generations. In this context, environmental ethics is consistent with sustainable development concept but comprises a diverse dimension. This type of environmental ethics considers the human and human values while searching for solutions to environmental problems and emphasizes the understanding which saves that individuals and societies should have environmental values and environmental conscious in order to live a life in harmony with the nature. People are not seen as solely objects of development in this view of environmental ethics. The understanding as ―development regardless of its consequences‖ has threatened biological and genetic variety on earth. This type of understanding on development does not correspond to ethical understanding. In this study, conflicts between sustainable development and environmental ethics within environmental policies will be evaluated from the perspectives of anthropocentric, egocentric biocentric, ecocentric approaches of environmental ethics by considering approaches to environmental ethics within EU environmental policies. Sustainable development within EU environmental policies will be critically reviewed in terms of environmental ethics.

Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed

2012-05-31

1265