When talking about the environmental ethics, it is first to mention to the behaviours of the human people towards the environment. Because the ethics of the human must be expressed through the specific behaviours, we can realize and evaluate. After all, the research on environmental ethics is the research on the behaviour of the human towards the environment. The environmental ethics is not only purely the normative behaviours, but also the behaviours done by the subject self-consciously with sense of responsibility, such behaviours are for the sake of natural environment. Once we thought that the human is the center, stands on nature. The human has the right to exploit, including destruction of the natural environment to serve their interests. This has led to serious consequences for the human life (storm, flood, climate change, disease...). Today, we have been changing our relationship with the nature. That relationship is to respect and for the sake of the natural environment.
The book is written based on the research result of the basic survey Project “Evaluation of environmental ethics in our country at present” assigned by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental to Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences to implement, and the author is the Project manager.
The book content mentions to the following issues:
1) Some basic theoretical issues of environmental ethics. Present some concepts: ethics, environmental ethics, environmental ethics evaluation criteria, appearance and basic trends of environmental ethics, basic functions of environmental ethics. This is a relatively new issue in our country at present.
2) Experience in environmental protection in some countries seen from the angle of environmental ethics. In this part, book analyzes the experience in environmental protection of some countries, points out the ethical aspects of the environmental protection activities. These are valuable experiences for us.
3) Overview of environment and environmental pollution in our country at present; Awareness of the people about environmental ethics; Actual state of environmental ethical behaviour in our country. From the angle of environmental ethics, the author indicated the actual state of a lot of environmental unethical happening in some places from the urban, rural areas to mountainous region. This is one of the basic causes that leads to environmental pollution and unsustainable environmental protection in our country at present. The worrying thing is that sometimes we can be aware of the consequences of our behaviour, but we still implement such behaviour.
The environmental protection obligation is not formed naturally, temporarily but it is formed and perfected in the whole process of education, self-education and practice in the practical activities of each individual, even in the process of struggle and challenge of the life.
Nguyen Vu
