ABSTRACT
As a society progresses it often faces a conflict between economic benefits and environmental degradation. Many environmentalists oppose drilling for oil and cracking shale to produce natural gas because of the potential impact on local natural resources. On the other hand, banning DDT, a chemical known to be hazardous to human health, is now believed to have allowed malaria to rage in developing countries. Environmental ethics means doing the right thing. But what is the right thing? Should society allow the development of a large manufacturing plant in a wild area near a small town where it could employ thousands of workers but would deprive wildlife of a place to exist and thrive? This industrial use of the land would also deprive hearty hikers, campers, and hunters of a place to participate in their activities. Isn’t this an ethical dilemma?
