ABSTRACT
What is it that makes the environment valuable in its own right? After briefly clarifying the distinction between values and ethics, three categories of reasons for attributing value to the environment are identified and explained: relational reasons, constitutive or contributory reasons, and ‘stand-alone’ reasons. Examples are given and the point made that many environmental features may be valued for more than one such reason. A concluding thought is that since the environment is a site of common concern, a focus on its value has the potential, at least, to unite otherwise fractured human communities in a common cause.
