IB Environmental systems and societies Hl.ce Rights-based Ethical Systems Notes

Rights-Based Ethics: Some Actions Are Simply Right or Wrong

Some actions are inherently right or wrong, regardless of the outcomes they produce.

1. Morality comes from following moral rules and rights, not from weighing consequences (this is the deontological tradition of Kant).
2. An action that violates a right is wrong even if it produces good outcomes for others.

Rights That Can Be at Stake

Rights-Based Ethics in Environmental Practice

1. Animal welfare
   1. Some oppose deforestation because it destroys habitats and violates animals' right to live in their natural environment.
2. Climate justice
   1. Polluting industries can be said to violate the rights of future generations to inherit a livable environment.
3. Legal rights of nature
   1. Ecuador's 2008 constitution and New Zealand's Whanganui River (Te Awa Tupua) grant nature legal rights to exist and be protected.

Strengths and Limits of Rights-Based Ethics

1. Strength
   1. It protects rights consistently and refuses to justify harm by pointing to good outcomes.
2. Limitation
   1. Rights can conflict, such as the right to development versus the right to a clean environment, and deciding who holds rights is subjective.