Environmental Ethics

Author(s): S M Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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weak, are responsible for environmental degradation. It should therefore, be not only necessary but mandatory for all to follow the fundamental principles for environmental restoration and sustainable maintenance.
Mankind must learn, understand, imbibe and follow the principle and rules of mutualism or symbiosis as it has to live in harmony for mutual benefits with all other constituents of environment, animate and inanimate. While it is important to educate people about environment it has to be followed by required measures voluntary or by law. The persuasive measures of educating people, motivating them by creating awareness have not succeeded to the extent necessary in the fast deteriorating scenario. The belief that people will voluntarily adopt and modify life styles for the sake of environment has been belied as manifest in even simple examples. People for instant selfish objective do not follow traffic rules, voluntarily though for their own safety and even if they are well aware and educated and so punitive measures are necessary. Regarding impact of education no one knows better about the importance of forests than a trained educated forest officer but he too indulges in destruction of forests for his own greed. So is the case of a engineer who knows best about quality and proportion of materials to be used, but ignores everything for his vested self interest. Pharmacists are making fake drugs. Even scientists sell technologies to dangerous terrorists. The persons responsible and trained to check crimes are partners of criminals. Judges too are selling judgements. The malaise of selfishness for one's sensuous pleasures is so rampant that some element of compulsion, effective enforcement and exemplary punishment is necessary so that all people, all over abide by basic ethical code for environmental safety as bitter pills and operations (cutting away of bad parts, organs) are also necessary to cure ailments. The malignant belligerent cancer cells have to be destroyed.
There are instances that persons brought up in a very good
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