Environmental-Based Ethical Dilemma from the Past Five Years

MartinezEthicsWeek4.docx

Using web based research, find an environmental-based ethical dilemma from the past five years online. 

(You can use a news story, an internet article, a law case, or anything from a governmental database for this assignment.) 

Then, using this story as a foundation for your dilemma: 

Create a 2-4 paragraph "dilemma" similar to the other dilemmas you have been solving throughout this term.

Solve the dilemma using Kant's ethics (Categorical Imperative).

Solve the dilemma using any other method we have discussed to date (with which you agree.)

State which resolution (Kant's or the other one you chose) you prefer and why.

Environmental Ethical Dilemma

Environmental ethics apply ethical thinking to the natural world and the relationship between humans and the earth. They are a key factor of environmental studies but they are also applied to other fields as well because these day’s’ human society grapples with pollution, threat of extinction, climate disruption, and resource degradation in a more meaningful way (Schermerhorn, 2012)

Say Yes to Green Gold;

The Environmental ethical dilemma that came into notice is with respect to jewelry parable. There are the environmental abuses of "dirty gold“ and the fact that reporters in 2008 found that gold mined by children using mercury was entering the supply chain. There is a trend of having recycled gold; this recycled gold does not have ethical backbone. Here there is also one catch that these workshops of recycled gold were fashioned with chemicals and in unknown conditions (Siegel, 2011).

According to Kant, there is no such act which is right or wrong in itself, if the consequences are to produce happiness and pleasure then we are not behaving morally right and responsible. Here the output is filling the pockets of retailers and manufacturers but it is impacting the environment by introducing chemicals to make recycled gold thus it is not ethical. Kant supports the...