ABSTRACT

This chapter explains the serious environmental problems in our world, such as the clearcut felling of the remaining ancient rainforests in tropical and temperate zones, the contamination of air, water and ground by garbage incineration, which disseminates pollutants such as mercury and PCBs that end up in our bodies. It can even be found in the mother's milk; the destruction of mangroves in coastal areas, due to misplaced tourism development schemes and shrimp farms, with the consequent elimination of breeding grounds for fish and so on. The chapter proposes that personal responsibility for one's impact on the natural environment also applies to individuals while in the workplace, and perhaps more so than in any other place that we are active during daily life. It summaries the conception of ethics, followed by a survey of the various ways by which one may develop a sense of responsibility for the condition of our natural environment.