Environmentalethicsisarelativelynewbranchofphilosophy,whichstudiesthevaluesandprinciplesinvolvedincombattingenvironmentalproblemssuchaspollution,lossofspeciesandhabitats,andclimatechange.Asourenvironmentfacesevermorethreatsfromhumanactivitiesthesecoreissuesarebecomingincreasinglyimportant.InthisVeryShortIntroductionRobinAttfieldtracestheoriginsofenvironmentalethicsasadiscipline,andconsidershowitdefendstheindependentvalueoflivingcreatures,andtheneedtomakedecisionsinformedbytheneedsandinterestsoffuturegenerations.Exploringthediverseapproachestoethicaldecisionsandjudgements,hehighlightstheimportanceofmakingprocessesofproductionandconsumptionsustainableandofaddressinghumanpopulationlevels,togetherwithpoliciesforpreservingspecies,sub-species,andtheirhabitats.AlongthewayAttfielddiscussesdifferentmovementssuchasDeepEcology,SocialEcology,theEnvironmentalJusticemovementandtheGreenmovement,andalsoconsiderstheattitudestotheenvironmentoftheworld’sreligions,includingtheapproachfromthemajorreligionsandthecontributionsoftheindigenousreligionsofAsia,AfricaandNorthAmerica.Analyzingthecurrentthreatofclimatechange,andproposalsforclimateengineering,hedemonstrateshowresponsibilityfortheenvironmentultimatelylieswithusall,fromstatesandcorporationstoindividuals,andemphasizeshowconcertedactionisrequiredtomanageourenvironmentethicallyandsustainably.ABOUTTHESERIES:TheVeryShortIntroductionsseriesfromOxfordUniversityPresscontainshundredsoftitlesinalmosteverysubjectarea.Thesepocket-sizedbooksaretheperfectwaytogetaheadinanewsubjectquickly.Ourexpertauthorscombinefacts,analysis,perspective,newideas,andenthusiasmtomakeinterestingandchallengingtopicshighlyreadable.
