Environmental Ethics of the United States Government

Environmental Ethics & United States Government

Environmental Ethics and United States

[Type the document title]

Definition of Environment Ethics & Its Approaches

United States & Environmental Ethics

Role of United States Government

Environment Protection Agency

Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

National Park Service (NPS)

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Role of Civil Society in Environment Protection & Preservation

Environment protection and preservation has been a serious concern for countries all across the globe. But the government of United States government has been acting as a leader in this regard. It is the first government to introduce a separate department solely for the purpose of ensuring that the natural environment is well-protected and in case of any damage, necessary preservation methodologies are adopted. In order to support this objective, U.S. government has formed various agencies and other departments over time with the sole purpose of protecting all the elements of natural environment.

However, it is important to note that where there two distinct approaches available to be followed in terms of environmental ethics i.e. anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric approaches, U.S. government has shown its advocacy for a middle way instead of following one approach as one emphasizes on intrinsic values whereas the other focuses on rights of the nature and its inhabitants. Steps taken by U.S. government have shown that it considers protection of ecological balance of the nature as important as human rights. It has introduced various legislations and acts with reference to climate change, emergencies, green living, fuel economy, oil pollution, radiation protection, health and safety, land and water cleanup, pesticides, chemical and toxics, waste management, water protection and recycling, wild life protection, agriculture management etc.

United States government has also supported civil society to play it role in this regard. The presence of relevant legislations and dedicated authorities for environment protection and other policies encouraging participation from NGOs and other citizens, are also making substantial contribution for the achievement of this objective.

Introduction

Environmental ethics is one of the major concerns of many nations across the globe. With the advancement in society' structure, technology and business processes, governments along with other social elements are paying considerable attention to this area. Where many countries are introducing concrete measures in order to play their role in environment protection, United States is no different. In fact, United States' government is a pioneer in acknowledging the importance of environment protection since it was the first one to introduce a formal government body solely for this purpose. United States government is playing an effective role in introducing reforms and taking measures meant for environment protection and restoration whereas other organizations such as business enterprises, non-profit organizations, communities and religious bodies are also taking part for the fulfillment of similar cause.

Definition of Environment Ethics & Its Approaches

The term environmental ethics is associated with many policies and procedures lately. It is mainly used to define a relationship of a society with the environment in which it is operating. The foundation of environment ethics is based on a simple question: what is our responsibility to environment and the social balance of it. Whenever the term environment is used, it is perceived to be a reflection of the living and non-living elements of nature creating an ecological balance. This nature is meant to stay in balance in order to avoid any natural calamity. Damage to one element has a tendency of introducing a domino effect; therefore it is important that no harm should be caused to it, in the first place.

Whenever the term environment ethics is coined, a concern arises as to what exactly constitutes the environmental ethics i.e. what is society's responsibility to nature and how far does it goes. This question would become rather easier to answer if an exact value of nature can be estimated. Here, another question arises: does the nature posses any intrinsic value of its own or is it only important on the basis of scope of benefits offered by it to the society. This difference of intrinsic and instrumental value leads to two different approaches towards environment protection and reservation.

It has been almost four decades since the importance of environment protection has been acknowledged by the United States and also by other nations of the world, however the field is still in its infancy with reforms being introduced at exponential rate. With the evolution in this field, two different approaches have been introduced. Anthropocentric approach refers to examining the importance of environment in terms of benefits offered by it to the humans. According to this approach, only humans hold the key importance in this environment and all the other forms of life and units to ecological balance are meant to serve humans. Even humans are valuable because they have a rationale purpose to serve which makes them the only logical inhabitant and owner of this environment. However, this approach fails to acknowledge the role of infants and elderly citizens in the society along with mentally-challenged individuals as well. Considering this major drawback, this approach tends to provide a limited scope of environment protection reforms since it fails to provide the moral grounds which can be levied equitably on all units of the society.

On the contrary, the non-anthropocentric approach considers every element of ecological system ranging from microorganisms to other non-living units which are responsible for providing habitat to the living things along with performing other functions. However, this approach itself is too broad in nature since if moral consideration acts as a ground for utilizations of any natural resources, some of them may possess conflict to the human requirements. For example, if bacteria causing fatal diseases are considered as a living organism towards which society possess reasonable responsibility in terms of protection, then human safety would be endangered whereas there are no empirical evidences of benefits offered by this bacteria.

It can be seen that these two schools of thought offer a broad range of vision which is not suitable to be adopted by humans completely. If current policies of United States government are considered that a compromised way of dealing with environmental issues has been opted by it.

United States & Environmental Ethics

Role of United States Government

United States government has undertaken the responsibility of environment protection and preservation and for this purpose; it has established a network of agencies which are provided with the roles of protecting different elements of the environment. Some of the most eminent agencies are Environment Protection Agency, National Parks Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Department of Agriculture. The government of United States has been highly active in introducing measures meant for protection of human rights (Bill of Rights, Minorities Act etc.), but it has not neglected the other aspects of the society and nature.

These agencies are solely responsible for the protection of the longevity of natural resources, wild life and the related species thriving in the ecological systems governed by these agencies. Although it will be noted that United States government has paid more attention towards the elements which are of intrinsic value i.e. land, water, food, animals. However, it is also important to note that these measures are not solely motive driven and are meant for the welfare of the society at the end.

Environment Protection Agency

In 1970, United States government dedicated a complete federal department named as Environment Protection Agency, for the purpose of environmental safety which was a pioneering step of its kind. The sole purpose of this department is to provide guidelines to the general public, federal departments, business enterprises and other units of the society with reference to environment protection and restoration. These guidelines are related to human health, air-related issues, climate change, emergencies, green living, fuel economy, oil pollution, radiation protection, health and safety, land and clean up, pesticides, chemical and toxics, waste management, water protection and recycling. This broad range of issues cover human rights protection related to environment, animal protection, general layout of corporate social responsibility of business enterprises, drugs and food management etc. It is important to note that along with providing guidance regarding environment protection, EPA also has complete authority to take measures which are necessary for reinforcing these standard procedures and processes intended for environment protection.

Although EPA is not a federal department but an agency its administrator is appointed by the president with the status equivalent to cabinet rank. With headquarters in Washington D.C., the agency has its operations extended all over United States with the help of an extensive workforce comprising of 17000 employees having specialized skills and knowledge, scattered in ten regions, working with 27 laboratories. EPA is responsible for introducing and enforcing national standards operating under environmental laws, state acts, and local legislation. The agency has a wide ranging of authority extending from grating sanction, imposing penalties and issuing restraining orders. The agency also works with industries and all levels of government in a wide variety of voluntary pollution prevention programs and energy conservation efforts.

Where many questions have been raised on the performance and effectiveness of this agency, its role in environment ethics enforcement cannot be denied. Ignoring the political influence, EPA has been introducing reforms which have been effective in at least setting up minimum standards for the well-being of human health, animal and plants protection along with ecological balance. It has introduced and enforced various acts under Congress's supervision which have been functional in protecting and restoring natural resources. Examples of some of the reforms introduced by EPA are Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfield Revitalization Act, Nuclear Waste Repository Act, Food Quality Protection Act, Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996, Toxic Substances Control Act, Endangered Species Act and other programs including Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative, fuel economy, global warming etc.

The given set of policies and acts indicate that EPA covers wide range of environment protection issues and its operations are well-supported by its skilled human resources and other research facilities. The mission of EPA is clear and concise i.e. To protect human health and the environment (EPA, 2012).

Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

Another important agency responsible for environment protection is BLM. It is the mission of the Bureau of Land Management to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Prior to 1946, the Department of Interior controlled their 253 million acres of public land under the discretion of the General Land Office, which was created in 1812, and the U.S. Grazing Service, which was established in 1934 (BLM, 2010). However, after the formation of BLM, the pressing issues of water management, freshwater life management, sea life management and the access of public to the state-owned landscapes. The idea behind formation of this organization is to protect and preserve the American lands and included public property. This agency operates in the light of Omnibus Public Land Management Act, the Federal Land and Policy Management Act, and the Mineral Leasing Act and Amendments. The governing body of this agency is Minerals Management Service which is an extension of Department of Interior where MMA itself, is responsible for disaster management.

National Park Service (NPS)

Another agency run by U.S. government with the motive of environment protection and restoration is National Parks Service. The mission of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) is to conserve the scenery, the natural and historic objects, and the wildlife in United States' national parks, and to provide for the public's enjoyment of these features in a manner that will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. This agency was created in 1916 and its jurisdiction spreads over 400 national parks. NPS operates under the guidelines of National Park Service Organic Act. According to this Act, NPS is responsible for operating and protecting the prolonged existence of the parks in United States and also make them useful for educational and other purposes. This agency in turn, reports to EPA, Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior. The reporting heads of this organization are Director of the national Park Service and also the Secretary of Interior (NPS, 2012).

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

The purpose of this department is to keep supervision on the quality and quantity of food production and also the manufacture of by-products as well. Nearly 150 years later, the "leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management" remains the mission of the USDA as it navigates the ever-growing agricultural landscape of the United States (USDA, 2012). USDA is not just an authority which is responsible for regulating the food manufacturing processes. It is responsible to ensure that the food produce has the necessary nutrients and the manufacturing processes used tend not to have any side- effects which may hamper a unit of ecological system. Therefore, food protection, farms safety, management of health standards serves as the prime goals of this department.

It is also a responsibility of this department to ensure that contemporary farming techniques are used by the farmers and they are well-assisted by necessary products such as pesticides etc. To ensure that no food wastage takes place and the food manufacturing process is expedient and efficient. The responsibility is performed with the help of doctrines offered by conservation policy. This department runs with the mission of providing leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management.

Role of Civil Society in Environment Protection & Preservation

Civil society has been acting as a watchdog for American governance related to environment protection. Michael Bratton describes civil society as social interaction between the household and the state characterized by community cooperation, structures of voluntary association, and networks of public communication (Bratton, 1994).

There are numerous NGOs working for the protection of wild-life, sea life, deep ecology, endangered species, outcomes of green-house effect and emergencies. The role of these NGOs is more substantial than the government as government act as the regulatory authority which has limited span of access to the problematic areas. On the other hand, NGOs operate at grass root level which allows them to get in touch with the problem directly. Since they also have power to influence and reach general public, therefore the effectiveness of the measures introduced by them, although in the light of government directives, have greater potential of making a difference.

The legal system of U.S. federal government performs enforcement of environmental laws in three ways. First, governmental agencies have police power to enforce regulations against those who violate laws and regulations. Second, citizens or NGOs that have constitutional standing to sue play a major role in forcing the government to abide by its own rules and regulations under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA).Finally, under certain environmental statutes, citizens are granted the power to enforce environmental laws directly, acting in effect as private attorneys general by suing third-parties such as individuals and companies who violate the law (Daggett, 2002).