Environmental Ethics and Environmental Law


 This Note poses the question of whether—and how—lawmaking can create a platform for promoting an environmental ethic. There is body scholarship about how values or virtue ethics impact lawmaking, but this also explores opposite—how lawmaking impacts public. Environmental ethicists disagree very origins ethics. Some thinkers believe that stem from “core values” are inherent to human nature. Others posit set “green virtues” be learned. But there agreement education through exposure natural world fundamental ethical development. Ideally, people develop green virtues guide their everyday actions but, encourage true love world, core must awakened; done locally, via connections wild spaces. Through creation national parks and public land-granting, law creates contribute formation consciousness, materializing “wilderness” ideal demonstrating value “otherness.” The relationship between virtuous circle—in both senses word—as drives enriched as much has capacity virtues. circle concept risks implied instrumentalization virtues, robbing them intrinsic realization by using policy tools. However, false dichotomy; tool used democracy change itself creating different experiences make concrete we hold in abstraction aspiration. draws on Aristotle’s holistic learn practice ethic, which turn promotes passage new regulatory protective laws.