ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that a recap of the ways in which anthropocentrism and the metaphysics of mastery condition thinking about nature and the environment is illustrated by reference to the politically charged issue of human population growth and the influence of an underlying principle of social justice. If nature has intrinsic value, the impact of human population growth upon its well-being becomes a moral matter. The chapter explores some of the synergies and tensions between the orientation and powerful notions of ecological justice that have arisen in the literature of environmental concern. The challenge to social justice as a fundamental concern arises with a different view of ecological justice: one that requires respect and a fair distribution of resources not only for humankind, but also for the natural world. In the light of this, the idea of ecological justice requires us to reappraise the basis for thinking about equality and fairness in the distribution of global resources.
