Environmental & Ecological Protection in Philosophical Pathways: A Critical Review of Ethics-Led Environmentalism
Unknown authors
Aug 2026· Energy, Environment, and Economy· 0 citations
Abstract
Environmental degradation is often discussed as a technical challenge—one that can be solved through better technologies, stricter regulations, or more efficient resource management. Yet despite decades of scientific advances and policy interventions, ecological decline continues to accelerate. This persistent gap raises an uncomfortable but increasingly unavoidable question: are environmental crises fundamentally ethical problems as much as technical ones? This review explores the philosophical foundations of ethics-led environmentalism and examines how moral reasoning can contribute to more durable forms of ecological governance. Drawing upon scholarship in environmental ethics, environmental justice, ecological philosophy, sustainability studies, and environmental law, the review synthesizes diverse perspectives including ecocentrism, biocentrism, stewardship ethics, intergenerational justice, Earth Jurisprudence, and culturally grounded traditions such as Dharma, Ubuntu, and the Chinese philosophy of human–nature harmony. The analysis further evaluates distributive, procedural, and recognition-based dimensions of environmental justice and investigates illustrative cases from Europe, North America, India, and China. Across these contexts, a recurring pattern emerges: environmental initiatives tend to achieve greater legitimacy and longevity when ethical commitments are translated into institutional practice. The review also considers economic, political, and cultural barriers that complicate the implementation of ethics-led approaches. Ultimately, it argues that environmental protection cannot rely solely on technical expertise and regulatory containment. A genuinely sustainable future requires ecological governance grounded in moral responsibility, social justice, and a renewed understanding of humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
Climate change and ecological decline serve as core societal crises, revealing stark disparities in how environmental hazards and resources are shared. This study investigates the intersection of environmental policy, social vulnerability, and justice. It particularly highlights emerging nations, where marginalized groups disproportionately endure ecological dangers. Using a multidisciplinary and socio-legal framework, the research evaluates how current environmental regulations and institutional designs succeed or stumble in mitigating climate-driven social impacts. It contends that environmental rules must transcend mere regulatory compliance. Instead, they should integrate core values of fairness, transparency, and the defense of vulnerable demographics. The paper examines the capacity of public policies, legal systems, and grassroots involvement to drive inclusive environmental sustainability aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, primarily SDGs 10, 13, and 16. By proving that environmental fairness is a fundamental matter of governance, inequality, and human advancement rather than an isolated ecological issue, this study substantially enriches wider dialogues on societal transformation
Eric Omo Enakireu, Samuel Ugbo· Aposta: Revista de Ciencias...· 0 citations
: The current ecological crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and depletion of resources has shown that anthropocentric and growth-oriented systems of governance are insufficient. The article discusses the role of ecological ethics in changing public policy by rethinking human-nature relationships. The paper criticizes exploitative developmental paradigms and highlights the ethical foundation of sustainable governance through perspectives such as biocentrism, ecocentrism, deep ecology, ecofeminism, indigenous ecological worldviews. It continues to investigate the relevance of ecological ethics in climate policy, environmental justice, resource management, agriculture and biodiversity conservation. The paper contends that successful governance requires that public policy structures contain ecological responsibility, participation, justice and sustainability. Finally, it proposes a model of ecologically ethical governance based on interdependence, coexistence and long-term environmental sustainability.
Smt. Imlinungla, Dr. E Benrithung Patton· International journal of sci...· 0 citations
Contemporary Islamic environmental discourse frequently presents stewardship as the primary Qur’anic foundation for ecological responsibility, yet this formulation often leaves unresolved questions concerning anthropocentrism, unequal climate burdens, nonhuman value, and institutional accountability. This study critically reconstructs Qur’anic environmental ethics in relation to climate justice and develops a framework capable of addressing these limitations. It employs a qualitative document-based design combining content analysis, critical hermeneutics, and normative conceptual reconstruction. The corpus includes selected Qur’anic passages, representative classical and modern exegetical works, contemporary Muslim environmental declarations, international climate-governance instruments, and authoritative scientific assessments. The findings show, first, that stewardship is not a self-contained Qur’anic environmental doctrine but a modern interpretive reconstruction whose legitimacy depends on subordinating human authority to accountability and moral limits. Second, passages concerning animal communities, cosmic glorification, and balance provide a stronger basis for decentring human moral sovereignty and recognizing nonhuman forms of life as ethically significant. Third, general appeals to shared responsibility are inadequate for climate justice unless obligations are differentiated according to historical contribution, present capacity, vulnerability, and exclusion from decision-making. These findings support a critical Islamicate climate-justice framework composed of five interdependent dimensions: limited authority, creaturely recognition, differentiated responsibility, participatory governance, and restorative transformation. The study contributes theoretically by integrating Qur’anic interpretation, multidimensional climate-justice theory, and Islamicate institutional analysis. It argues that Qur’anic environmental ethics becomes publicly consequential not by claiming scriptural completeness, but by providing a critical vocabulary for evaluating power, distributing obligations, recognizing ecological plurality, and holding institutions accountable for environmental harm.
Aisyah Nur, M. As, Muhammad Rizqi Siregar et al.· Islamicate Futures: Knowledg...· 0 citations
The environmental crisis has become one of the most pressing global challenges, affecting not only ecological sustainability but also the social, economic, and spiritual dimensions of human life. In this context, theology is called to offer contextual reflections that respond meaningfully to contemporary ecological issues. This study aims to examine how contextual theology reconstructs Christian ecological ethics through the relationship between God, humanity, and the whole creation amid the environmental crisis. The study employs a qualitative library research approach by critically analyzing academic books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and official documents related to contextual theology, ecotheology, ecological ethics, and environmental issues. The findings reveal that the environmental crisis is fundamentally a crisis of relationships rooted in anthropocentric paradigms and the exploitation of nature. Therefore, Christian ecological ethics should not merely be understood as a moral obligation to protect the environment but should be reconstructed as a relational ethic grounded in three interconnected dimensions: the theological relationship between God and creation, the ecological relationship between humanity and nature, and the ethical relationship expressed through faithful responsibility toward ecological justice and environmental sustainability. This study contributes to the development of contextual theology by proposing a conceptual framework that integrates theological reflection with ecological praxis while reaffirming the role of the church in fostering ecological spirituality, promoting ecological justice, and participating actively in the public sphere as an expression of the missio Dei.
As the global climate crisis intensifies, traditional legislative and policy frameworks often struggle to provide long-term ecological protection. Environmental constitutionalism has emerged in response as a legal paradigm that embeds fundamental environmental rights and duties directly in national constitutions. This paper examines how constitutionalising environmental protection serves as a mechanism for enforcing intergenerational justice, the ethical and legal obligation to safeguard planetary health for future generations. Through comparative constitutional design and landmark judicial precedent, the study explores how courts and framers transform abstract concepts, among them the public trust doctrine, the right to a healthy environment and the rights of nature, into enforceable legal duties. It evaluates the structural tensions inherent in that movement, particularly the difficulty of balancing immediate socio-economic development against long-term ecological stewardship, and the procedural obstacles to standing on behalf of unborn generations. The paper argues that environmental constitutionalism raises ecological protection from a matter of political discretion to a rights-based imperative, and that anchoring intergenerational equity in supreme law creates enduring guardrails against short-term political incentives. It concludes with recommendations for framers and jurists seeking to design resilient constitutional frameworks capable of fulfilling the Constitution’s green promise.
Unknown authors· International Journal of Law...· 0 citations
Ecocriticism has emerged as an important interdisciplinary approach for examining the relationship between literature, culture, and the physical environment. While early ecocritical studies primarily concentrated on wilderness, nature writing, and the representation of landscapes, contemporary ecological criticism increasingly addresses climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, extractivism, environmental justice, and the agency of nonhuman beings. This article examines the transformation of ecocritical thought from an anthropocentric interpretation of nature toward a broader ecological framework that recognizes the interconnectedness of humans, nonhuman life, and environmental systems. Using qualitative textual analysis, the study proposes an Ecological Agency Framework for examining environmental narratives through four dimensions: ecological representation, human–nature relationships, structures of environmental power, and ecological resistance or recovery. The article argues that literature does more than represent environmental destruction; it can challenge dominant assumptions about human superiority, expose unequal environmental relationships, and cultivate ecological awareness. The study contributes to contemporary ecocritical scholarship by offering an integrated analytical framework that connects literary representation with ecological agency and environmental responsibility. The findings suggest that ecocritical reading can serve as an important intellectual bridge between literary studies and the broader environmental humanities.
Keywords: Ecocriticism; ecological agency; anthropocentrism; environmental humanities; climate literature; environmental justice; human–nature relationship.
R. Guptha· International Journal of Cre...· 0 citations
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