Our right to health and our duty to nature

Andrew T Brei, Purdue University

Abstract

Due to the significant and often careless human impact on the natural environment, there are serious problems facing the people of today and of future generations. To date, many ethical, aesthetic, religious, and economic arguments for the conservation and protection of the natural environment have made relatively little headway. Another approach, one capable of garnering attention and motivating action, would be welcome. The approach I advocate starts from the perspective of human rights. I will outline and evaluate three accounts that can rightly be called ‘rights approaches to environmental issues’. The account I favor bases our responsibilities and duties toward nature on the human right to health. I provide an explanation of concepts like ‘right’ and ‘health’ in an effort to both clarify my view and to motivate the acceptance of such a right. I then offer an analysis of the many ways in which human health is related to the natural environment. After all of this, our obligations regarding nature will be articulated and judged for their adequacy based on several traditional and non-traditional perspectives and their accounts of our duties regarding nature. In the end, I hope to have demonstrated that the subset of obligations derivable from the right to health concerning nature is comprehensive enough to warrant its being regarded as an effective and worthwhile approach to environmental issues.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Bernstein, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Philosophy

COinS