Environmentalism

This is a theory which is concerned with conservation and improvement of the environment.  It seeks to protect ecosystems and natural resources.  Environmental ethics is an important issue particularly in advancing science and technology.  Industrialisation and technologies create imbalances between humanity and nature.  The use of weapons of mass destruction destroys not only people, but damage a massive amount of the environment.  They adversely affect the natural balance of the environment.  Destruction of the environment leads to implications for people, animals and the plant as a whole.  When looking at the effect of such, destroying the planet with such weapons is unethical.  The environment is important, without it the human race could not survive.  Nuclears or cluster bombs don’t only affect the planet at the moment in time they are dropped and explode but for long periods afterward.

When considering the effect of such on the environment, a useful approach was proposed by Bernard Williams.  Firstly unallocated effects are looked at the cost of weapons of mass destruction on the environment, the long term effects on future generations.  Nuclear weapons cause everlasting damage to the ozone layer through the release of gas and pollutants.  The experiences from using such weapons, such as Hiroshima tell us that these weapons could never be good and ruin large areas for long periods of time; with everlasting damage.  The effect of them is not just damaging to humans but animals as well.  These are indiscriminative; they destroy people, animal and the environment.   Based on environmental ethics there is no justification for this technology.  There is no circumstance in which it is good.

Analysing the social and ethical implications of military development

Military Technology Out of Control?