In this course, we will explore how to identify, articulate and think critically about the ethical dimensions of environmental challenges. We will learn about various general theories in environmental ethics, and also how philosophical skills and concepts might be applied to specific environmental issues, such as global climate change and ecological restoration. Topics include: the value of the natural environment to humans, nonhuman animals, plants and ecosystems; the role of economic considerations in environmental policy-making; the origins of environmental problems; and the relevance of concepts such as justice to solutions. The course focuses partly on the contributions of standard philosophical theories and techniques to environmental debates, and partly on the challenges that environmental issues raise to familiar theoretical approaches. Offered: jointly with ENVIR 243.

TEXTS: Environmental Ethics: Theory in Practice, Ronald Sandler; Debating Climate Ethics, Stephen Gardiner and David Weisbach; [Recommended] Environmental Ethics: What Really Matters, What Really Works, David Schmidtz and Elizabeth Willott.