Environment
Many discussions about how to manage environmental resource use and/or prevent pollution are strongly polarized. Some people argue we should not regulate human activity to protect the environment because it hurts the economy. Others contend that if we don’t regulate behavior to protect the environment, we will end up harming human well-being.
What do you think? What should be the role of environmental laws and regulations?
Consider what you have read and learned in the entire course so far, as well as your own personal experience. Think about the concepts in Chapter 2, including:
the worldviews represented in the environmental movement (e.g. utilitarian conservationist vs. biocentric preservationist, environmental worldview, western worldview, deep ecology … which one best describes your view?),
the excerpts from Wallace Stegner’s essay on page 23 … do you agree with them?
the concepts included in environmental economics
the ideas of environmental justice and environmental ethics
Your initial post should describe your perspective on environmental regulations in the context of the introduction above. Your post should be a thoughtful reflection grounded in the course material. There is no right or wrong answer. Your perspective may or may not have changed since before the course and it is likely to change in the future as well, but it is important to be able to articulate and explain your perspective.