Muhammad Mohsin Javed(9408) Asif Ali Shar Ghulam Abbas(9173)

Introduction
Environmental ethics is the discipline in philosophy that

studies the moral relationship of human beings to the environment and its nonhuman contents.

Although nature was the focus of much nineteenth and

twentieth century philosophy, contemporary environmental ethics only emerged as an academic discipline in the 1970s.

 Human Beings are cutting down forests for making homes.

Continuing with an excessive consumption of natural

resources and their excessive use is resulting in their depletion.

When industrial processes lead to destruction of resources, is it not the industry's responsibility to restore the depleted resources?

Moreover, can a restored environment make up for the originally natural one?
Mining processes hamper the environment of certain

areas; they may result in the disruption of plant and animal life in those areas.

Most of the Human Activities lead to Environmental Pollution

ACTIVITIES SUCH AS:
Air pollution, the release of chemicals and particulates into the atmosphere. Littering Noise pollution, which encompasses roadway noise, aircraft noise, industrial noise as well as high-intensity sonar. Radioactive contamination such as nuclear power generation and nuclear

weapons research, manufacture and deployment

Water pollution, by the discharge of wastewater from commercial and industrial waste discharge of untreated domestic sewage.

KANTIAN APPROACH
Immanuel Kant wrote:
So far as animals are concerned we have no direct moral duties to them. Animals are not self-conscious and are there merely as a means to an end. That end is man.

KANTIAN APPROACH
Nature's only value is determined on the basis of its capacity to serve human interests and needs, and Kant goes so far as to tell us that in the absence of human interests, the natural world would be nothing but a "mere wasteland, gratuitous and without a final purpose."

KANTIAN APPROACH
He urges us to refrain from cruelty against animals not

because we are bound by any direct duties to them, but because we have duties toward other rational beings.
Animals themselves, as they are irrational, make no

moral claims upon us.

KANTIAN APPROACH
Kant is an ego-centrist (i.e.,
having or regarding the self or the individual as the center of all things) who believes only humans have value and

moral duties because they are the only rational creatures.

Kant, believes that only rational creatures have moral

duties.
Kant does not believe that humans have duties to

nature.

KANTIAN APPROACH
In Kant's view, even though nature only has derived value,

human moral duty is affected in that humans have to take care of nature because it will still affect humans.
If a species of animal goes extinct because of humans,

humans no longer can use the animals for food, study the animals, or use them for anything.
Outside of the animals being useful to humans their

extinction is not necessarily morally wrong.

Kant tells us that:

When the human being first said to the sheep, the pelt which you wear was given to you by nature not for your own use, but for mine He took it from the sheep to wear it himself, he became aware of a exclusive right which, by his nature, he enjoyed over all the animals; and he now regarded as means and instruments to be used at will for the attainment of whatever ends he pleased.

Asif Ali Shar 8964

Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism

offers a relatively straightforward method for deciding the morally right course of action for any particular situation we may find ourselves in.

The principle of utilitarianism can be traced to the

writings of Jeremy Bentham, who lived in England during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
His motto, a familiar one now, was "the greatest

good for the greatest number."

Utilitarianism
Over the years, the principle of utilitarianism has been

expanded and refined so that today there are many variations of the principle.
For example, Bentham defined benefits and harms in

terms of pleasure and pain.

John Stuart Mill, a great 19th century utilitarian

figure, spoke of benefits and harms not in terms of pleasure and pain alone but in terms of the quality or intensity of such pleasure and pain.

Utilitarianism
Today utilitarian's often describe benefits and harms

in terms of the satisfaction of personal preferences or in purely economic terms of monetary benefits over monetary costs.
Many scientists, politicians and philosophers have

expressed concern that the world is facing an environmental catastrophe.

Utilitarian Environmental Ethics

Utilitarianism is not a single theory, but more of a

family of theories with different variations. Some utilitarian approaches are more useful than others when applying them to environmental issues.
Since it is clear that destroying the environment will

bring long-term harm to all species, including humans, utilitarian's will weigh up the long-term harm against the short-term gain made from exploiting natural resources

Utilitarian Environmental Ethics

Quantitative Utilitarianism looks at a situation and

weighs up whether the moral course of action is the maximization of higher pleasures for present and future generations. So, for example, when in the Lake District there was a proposal to impose a 10mph speed limit on Windermere, a lake that lies within the National Park, a designated area of peace and tranquility, but which is much used by power-boat enthusiasts and waterskiers, whose activities contribute substantially to the local economy.

Utilitarian Environmental Ethics

Bentham would weigh up the amount of pleasure and

pain of all those involved. Modern utilitarian's would use a costbenefit analysis. Applying this approach to Windermere, it is easy to assess the economic benefit of some of the elements in the situation: power boating brings money into the area. But how can this be weighed against the loss of calmness?

Utilitarian Environmental Ethics

Environmental economics would say that tranquility is

also of value and it is simply a case of determining the strength of preferences for it but is money an appropriate measure of environmental goods?
Should the fate of the environment be dependent on

human preferences?
We never know the final result of our actions. What

may seem to be to the advantage of the environment now, may in the long term prove to be harmful.

Utilitarian Environmental Ethics

Preference Utilitarianism considers that the moral course

of action is the maximization of preference satisfaction for the current generation. Assuming that neglecting the environment has no major effect on the current generation, then the case for preserving the environment is weak.
For the preference utilitarian, the preference satisfaction of

a cheap source of electricity would outweigh the preferences of the walkers and the white-water rafters, as well as those of the animals and plants. However, the qualitative utilitarian would consider the long-term interests of future generations.

GHULAM ABBAS

ISLAM ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT

Quran regards not only nature but all universe as the creatures of God God does not love those who cause hurt and pain to believers. Quran regards the whole universe as Muslim because everything therein (except man, who may or may not become Muslim) has surrendered itself to Gods will.

EXAMPLES
Water conservation What is this wastage, O Saad? Is there wastage even in washing for prayer? asked Sad; And he said, Yes, even if you are by a flowing river! (ibn majah) Waste and over consumption but waste not by excess, for God loves not the wasters(aA-quran)

IMPORTANCE OF CLEANLINESS.
Islam considers cleanliness to be one of the fundamentals of belief. It thus makes a direct connection between belief and cleanliness. It is because of this that throughout the ages cleanliness has been one of the Muslims most striking characteristics. In one Hadith, Gods Messenger (PBUH) says: Cleanliness is half of belief. (Muslim, Tahara, 1)

The earth is also considered by Islam to be a place of purification and worship of God. Gods Messenger (PBUH) said: The earth was made a place of worship and purification for me [and Muslims]. The meaning of this is that when water is not available before worship, earth may used for canonical ablutions (tayammum) in its place. Bukhari, 86

IMPORTANCE OF TREES
Whoever plants trees, God will give him reward to the extent of their fruit.(Musnad, v, 415) Whoever plants a tree, reward will be recorded for him so long as it produces fruit.(Majma' al-Zawaid, v, 480 )

How profound are Yunus Emres, the Turkish poet of 13th century, words: We love creatures for the sake of their Creator!

WASTAGE
Islam permits utilization of the environment, but this should not be arbitrary. Wastefulness and extravagance are prohibited by God: O children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer; eat and drink, but waste not by excess, for God loves not the wasters. Surat Al-'A`rf 7:31

BALANCED
And the earth we have spread it out wide, and placed on it mountains firm, and caused life of every kind to grow on it in a balanced manner, and provided means of livelihood for you as well as for all beings whose sustenance does not depend upon you.(Al-Hijir15:19)

CONCLUSION
ENVIRONMENT ETHICS in the light of Kantian Ethics, nature only have instrumental value, and as animals and nonhuman being do not have any conscious therefore Humans does not owe the anything. In the Light of Islamic Perspective. Everything in this Universe, from stars to planets, from human to animals, from trees to micro-organisms, everything in this universes is created by ALLAH(SWT) and they do not have any instrumental values, and we cannot misuse them.