ABSTRACT
This chapter takes up our ethical relation to the non-human parts of the biosphere. We begin by asking why species and ecosystems matter morally. Why are they valuable? The discussion brings us to an analysis of what our duties of species preservation look like in the age of climate change. This is a difficult task because we are now in the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch defined by pervasive human influence in the Earth system. Next, we defuse the claim that it is not permissible for us to engage in the sort of “activist preservationist” projects the new epoch seems to demand of us. This is followed by critical analysis of the claims (a) that the Anthropocene is a welcome moment in human history; and (b) that nature is at an end.
