Ali Emmott

Intro Ethics

Environmental Ethics Paper

Marine pollution and Ocean Dumping

As we all know that the earth is roughly 70% filled with water, from oceans

and seas, which form an essential part of our existence. This factor of

indispensability not only has helped us immensely but also has inclined to us

exploiting the resources without thinking twice. Surfacing many ethical issues is

ocean dumping which also is one of the main causes of pollution of the oceans.

(Sharda, 2011) As a result of human activities polluting the oceanic environment

is marine pollution or marine debris is typically defined as any artificial object

discarded, disposed of, or abandoned that enters the coastal or marine

environment. (NOAA, 2013) Although human beings hold the greatest intrinsic

value according to biocentric ethics, a theory that view all life as possessing

intrinsic value we forget to respect that of other living things.

In addition to the commonly known pollutants of oil spills, crude oil,

industrial waste dumping, garbage disposal, and agricultural runoff; is the large

scale and heartless disposal of human wastes and sewage contents into oceans

has become inconceivable. (Singh, 2010) Each of these marine pollutants has

several different harmful effects to the oceanic environment and the prosperity of

the living organisms within the ocean habitat. Respectively all of the above

pollutants are causes from or caused by human activities. Set aside from all of

Ali Emmott

Intro Ethics

Environmental Ethics Paper

the laws, regulations and treaties that protect oceans against pollution, there are

still harming being done.

The theory of morality nonconsequentialist can be applied to the human

behavior when it comes to ocean dumping, often the person performing the

action is not concerned about the consequences of the act. These individuals act

according to their intuition or instinct and feel what makes an action right or

wrong are the intrinsic character of the value. Ocean dumping entails of

depositing all of the waste materials from factories and industries, tankers and

ships and the sewerage waste materials into the oceans and seas. One of the

most common oceanic dumping is the dumping of plastic which leads to adverse

effects. It’s unfortunate that ocean dumping is still an environmental issue today

because the oceanic waters intrinsic value is worthy to human life on our planet.

Today’s biggest ethical issue with marine pollution and ocean dumping is

the lack of environmental responsibility we has humans have for the well being of

our planet. Believe it or not once ocean dumping was considered as a necessity.

However today’s times it has become an impediment to our environment. Seeing

as we use and misuse the oceanic resources, it has become our responsibility to

take care and preserve it in every way we can. But unfortunately most people

today are not concerned or to caught up in the advances of the twenty-first

century to care now a day. Therefore we can apply the nonconsequentialist

theory approach once again to our generation today. Its sad to say that today

when people are sitting on the beach they will just bury their trash in the sand

Ali Emmott

Intro Ethics

Environmental Ethics Paper

which will eventually end up in the water. With all of the advances in technology

today our generation doesn’t realize the value the oceanic habitat has to our

future. Society today has lost the morals and ethics of past generations, which

has surfaced many concerns and issues today. (Sharda, 2011)

*Platonic dualism in a natural belief says that we naturally regard humans

as more important. Dualism distinguishes the mind and body separate from each

other. Dualism theory says that there are radically different kinds of things

between the mental and physical. (Robinson, 2012)

Ali Emmott

Intro Ethics

Environmental Ethics Paper

Works CitedNOAA. (2013). Marine Debris. From NOAA- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration : http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/whatis/welcome.html

OECD. (n.d.). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. From OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms: http://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1882

Robinson, H. (2012). Dualism . (E. N. Zalta, Editor) Retrieved 2013 from The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/encyclopedia/archinfo.cgi?entry=dualism

Sharda. (2011 27-July). йил Causes and Effects of Ocean Dumping. Retrieved 2013 from Marine Innsight : http://www.marineinsight.com/marine/environment/causes-and-effects-of-ocean-dumping/

Singh, N. (2010 23-September). йил Causes and Effects of Marine Pollution . Retrieved 2013 from Marine Insight: http://www.marineinsight.com/marine/environment/effects-of-marine-pollution/