The environmental ethical codes They are a set of principles, values and norms whose main objective is to regulate all economic activities of human beings that have a certain impact on the environment. The environmental impact must be negative and in many of these codes all aspects to be taken into account are reflected. In many of these cases, the elements contained in the codes have acquired the character of international conventions and national laws.
Therefore, it was important that these environmental ethical codes have, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about them.
What are environmental ethical codes
As we have mentioned, they are those principles, values and norms that seek to shape the behavior of citizens and states to achieve environmental protection. In this sense, they are basic principles that are mainly characterized by being based on certain basic elements and fundamental values. Among the best known environmental ethical codes are those of nature and biodiversity conservation, the rational use of natural resources and the consideration of the rights of future generations. It must be taken into account that one of the environmental ethical codes most important is respect for human cultural diversity.
However, respect for human culture and its diversity must not have negative impacts on the environment. In the same way, all these environmental ethical codes are based on the principle that the finite character of the planet has. This means that not all the planet's resources are inexhaustible. Everything was related and connected to the land, so environmental impacts know no national borders. That is to say, it must be taken into account that any type of economic activity of the human being it can affect other areas different from the point of emission, even if it is another national territory.
The division of nations is nothing more than a way of measuring territories on a human scale. The planet does not understand national borders, but natural borders. A natural border can be a mountain or a desert. A national border is the territory of a country marked by human beings.
Concept of environmental ethical codes
It is a set of rules that are based on general values and principles whose compliance is based on moral judgment. In a strict sense, we can say that they are ethical codes rather than laws within the legal system and that they are complied with voluntarily. Environmental ethical codes They are based on the awareness that humanity has acquired about the vulnerability of the planet and natural resources. Until relatively recently, human beings thought that our planet's resources were infinite.
In ancient times, it was considered that people could use all natural resources without greater consequences for the environment. However, thanks to the advancement of the scientific world, it has been possible to see from experience that all this is not the case. Everything that being human does has serious consequences and can put the survival of life on the planet at risk. That is why the need arises to establish different ethical codes of environmental conduct. Although the are fully ordered as such, the various conventions and internationals are expressed. They are also included in different agreements, declarations of both national and international laws.
Principles and values
We are going to see what are the principles and values of the environmental ethical codes. The first of them is the finite character of the planet that we have discussed. The planet it has a connection with all ecological processes. From this, it follows the fact that all human actions have consequences for the environment. On the other hand, we have another principle, which is that actions do not know border limits. The responsibility is both national and international. This includes values of responsibility and solidarity among the people who live on the planet today with respect to future generations who will inhabit it tomorrow.
To all this we must add the impact of our actions on living beings. The concept of extinction must be developed. This concept is about a biological species it can disappear because of our actions. Another aspect is the knowledge we have about environmental pollution worldwide. This is the principle of reducing pollution.
Environmental law plays a fundamental role in environmental ethical codes. They are voluntary, but in order to have a greater impact, environmental ethical codes must be expressed in accordance with the law. For this reason, various international conventions and protocols have been developed that put these environmental principles and values into practice. One of the most important manifestations of environmental law is the World Declaration of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Specifically, the one held at the IUCN World Congress on Environmental Law, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 2016.
International conventions are also of great importance in understanding these codes. Later, in the field of biotechnology and the use of genetic resources, the 2003 Cartagena Protocol stands out. It is here where ethical principles and regulatory bodies were defined. Bioethics committees were created for this protocol in order to evaluate all the impacts that are related to the projects of living organisms. In these teams they find experts who participate in research projects and development that complies with bioethics regarding life.
There are more than 100 international conventions and treaties that constitute diverse expressions of the environmental ethical codes. There are also numerous protocols aimed at applying all the agreements that have been reached. The end goal is the same. Cover all the varied aspects such as the conservation of biodiversity, the illegal trade of species and the reduction of global warming to avoid the effects of climate change.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about environmental ethical codes and their importance.