Environmental Ethics, Laws and Policies

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
ETHICS
• Ethics define the code that a society or group of people adhere to

MORALS
• Morals delve into right and wrong at a much deeper level, which is both personal and spiritual.

* Ethics relates to a society whereas morality relates to an individual person. Ethics relate more in a professional life
while morals are what individuals follow independently.
* Environmental issues also involve a consideration of ethics and morals. Since ethics is different from moral, it is
quite difficult to determine what is right and what is wrong

ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES AND ETHICS

1) Development Ethics
- based on action
- it assumes that human race should be the master of nature, and that earth and its resources exist for the benefit and
pleasure of human
- reinforced by work ethics which dictates that human should be busy creating continual change, and that bigger and better
things represent progress which is good
2) Preservation Ethics
- considers nature special in itself
- some preservationists have an almost religious belief regarding nature
- they hold reverence for and respect the right of all creatures to live no matter what the social or economical costs
- preservationists also include those whose interest in nature is primarily aesthetics or recreational
3) Conservation Ethics
- stresses a balance between development and absolute preservation
- it recognizes the desirability of decent living standards but works towards a balance of resource use and resource
availability

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS VIEWED AT DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

1) Corporate Environmental Ethics
Corporation – legal entity designed to operate at a profit
- Ethics are involved when a corporation cuts corners in production quality or waste disposal to maximize profit
- These corporate decisions involve only minimal considerations to the public interest, while every effort is exerted to
maximize profit
TOOLS USED TO EVALUATE ENVIRONMENTAL CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
a) Valdez Principles
- have been formulated to guide and evaluate corporate conduct towards the environment
- the Valdez Principles support a wide range of environmental issues. Protection of the biosphere is one of its objectives, and
it encourages industries to minimize or eliminate the emission of pollutants. The principles are also devoted to protecting
biodiversity and insuring the sustainable development of land, water, forests, and other natural resources. The principles advocate
the use of recycling whenever possible, support safe disposal methods, and encourage the use of safe and sustainable energy
sources. Energy efficiency is also a goal, as well as the marketing of products that have minimal environmental impact.
- They are named after the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker which ran aground off the Alaskan coast in 1989, causing considerable
environmental damage
b) ISO 14000 (International Standard Organization)
- certification for environmental management, i.e., on meeting environmental responsibilities, controlling risks and reducing
liabilities
- a family of standards related to environmental management that exists to help organizations (a) minimize how their
operations (processes etc.) negatively affect the environment (i.e. cause adverse changes to air, water, or land); AND (b) comply
with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements
2) Societal Environmental Ethics
Society – composed of a great variety of people with different viewpoints
- Many societies tend to exploit their resources
- Societies tend to continue to consume natural resources as if the supplies were never ending
- Growth, expansion and domination remain the central socio-cultural objectives of most advance societies
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 Environmental Ethics, Laws and Policies
- Economic growth and exploitation – attitudes share by developing societies
3) Individual Environmental Ethics
- We have to recognize that each of us is individually responsible for the quality of the environment we live in and that our
personal actions affect environmental quality, for better or for worse
- Recognition of individual responsibility must then lead to real changes in individual behavior
- In other words, our environmental ethics must be reflected in changes in the ways we all live our daily lives
Environmental Movements – have been effective in influencing public opinion and in moving the business community
towards environmental ethics
4) Global Environmental Ethics
- Much of the current environmental crisis is rooted in and exacerbated y the widening gap between rich and poor nations
- Industrialized countries contain only 23% of the world’s population and yet they control 80% of the world’s goods and
are responsible for a majority of its pollution
- Developing countries struggle to catch up with developed countries and this seem to result to destruction of their forests
and the depletion of their soils
International Protocols - international conventions where nations can work together to solve common environmental
problems
Examples:
1) The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer
- a landmark international agreement designed to protect the stratospheric ozone layer. The treaty was originally signed in
1987 and substantially amended in 1990 and 1992. The Montreal Protocol stipulates that the production and consumption of
compounds that deplete ozone in the stratosphere--chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl
chloroform--are to be phased out by 2000 (2005 for methyl chloroform). Scientific theory and evidence suggest that, once emitted
to the atmosphere, these compounds could significantly deplete the stratospheric ozone layer that shields the planet from damaging
UV-B radiation.
* The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985), which outlines states' responsibilities for protecting human
health and the environment against the adverse effects of ozone depletion, established the framework under which the Montreal
Protocol was negotiated
2) Kyoto Protocol – convention on the global climate change
- an international agreement that sets a target reduction of GHG emissions for 37 industrialized countries and European
communities starting from 2008 to 2012. Specifically, it requires an average reduction of five percent from the GHG emission
recorded in 1990
- Participating countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol have committed to cut emissions of not only carbon dioxide,
but of also other greenhouse gases, being:
- Methane(CH4)
- Nitrousoxide (N2O)
- Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
- Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
- Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
 Before, engineers were able to practice their profession without having to address environmental ethics to the same depth
as it is now required
 Legislations require us to produce an environmental report (EIS) prior to the design stage of a process
 Engineering as a profession has great achievements in the general area of public health, water supply, sewage treatment,
waste treatment, etc. and we are proud of all of these.
 However, modern engineers now realize that there are also negative and long-term impacts of engineering projects on
ecology as well as on human health
 The dilemmas for engineers for the design for such projects are many since no longer can engineers and scientists hide
behind technology and economics
 Our profession must share responsibility for the ethical dilemmas or face the long-term consequences of such issues
returning to haunt us
 Engineers today are very different from generations ago
 Traditionally, an engineer could live out a technical career without public participation as a professional
 Engineers have the technical competence of a backroom technician with the ability to interact with groups, other than
engineers, at a public level
 Engineers must be more adaptable, flexible and be able to collaborate with groups (environmental and community groups)
for inputs at the inception of projects

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 Environmental Ethics, Laws and Policies

ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS AND POLICIES

- Environmental legislation includes all laws pertaining to the management of natural resources and the regulation of discharge of
materials into the environment
- It plays a critical role in promoting environmental protection through:
- Sustainable use of natural resources
- Pollution prevention
- Integration of environment and development objectives
- Provides an important framework for regulating social behavior and transforming sustainable development policies into
enforceable norms of behavior
- Environmental laws assist the government in adhering to international protocols and building national capacities to address major
global, national, regional and local environmental issues and problems in the context of sustainable development

I. POLLUTION CONTROL LEGISLATIONS

1) Republic Act No. 3931 (July 10, 1967)
- An act creating the National Water and Air Pollution Control Commission (NAPCC)
2) Presidential Decree No. 1251
- Imposing a fee on Operating Mining Companies to be known as Mine Wastes and Tailing Fee to compensate for Damages
to Private landowners and for other purposes
3) Presidential Decree No. 1151 (June 6, 1977)
Philippine Environmental Policy:
- Defines the general policies on the pursuit of a better quality of life for the present and future generations
- It mandates the undertaking of EIA for all projects which may significantly affect the environment
4) Presidential Decree No. 1152
Philippine Environmental Code:
- It defined the objectives of the policy and strategies for various aspect of environmental management, such as air, water
quality, natural resource development, land and waste management
- It tells about how to implement /enforce PD 1151
5) Presidential Decree No. 825 (November 7, 1985)
- Providing penalty for improper disposal of garbage and other forms of uncleanliness and for other purposes
6) Presidential Decree No. 984 (August 8, 1976)
Pollution Control Law:
- It seeks to prevent, abate, and control pollution of water, air, and land for a more effective utilization of the resources of
the country
7) Presidential Decree No. 1181
- Providing for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution from motor vehicles and other purposes (installation
of pollution control device)
8) Presidential Decree No. 1160
- Vesting authority in Barangay captains to enforce pollution and environmental control laws and for other purposes
9) DENR Administrative Order No. 34 (DAO 34)
- Revised water usage and classification / water quality criteria
10) DENR Administrative Order No. 35 (DAO 35)
- Revised effluent regulations
11) Republic Act No. 6969 (with IRR DAO 92-29)
- An act to control toxic substances, hazardous, and nuclear wastes
12) DENR Administrative Order No. 14 ( series of 1993)
- Revised air quality standards
13) Republic Act 8749 – Clean Air Act of 1999
- Provides for a comprehensive air pollution control policy
- Stipulates the development of an integrated air quality improvement framework, standards on ambient air quality from
mobile and stationary sources and mitigation of all sources of air pollution
14) Presidential Decree 856
- Sanitation Code of the Philippines
15) Republic Act 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act)

II. EIS (ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT) REGULATIONS

1) Presidential Decree No. 1586
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 Environmental Ethics, Laws and Policies
- Environmental Impact Statement System
- It declares the policy to ensure the attainment of environmental quality that is conducive to a life of dignity and recognizes
the right of the people to a healthy environment
2) DENR Administrative Order No. 08 (series of 1991)
- Guidelines on the issuance of Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) or
- Environmental Clearance (EC) for the conversion of agricultural lands to non-agricultural uses
3) DENR Administrative Order No. 21 (series of 1992)
- Amended the revised rules and regulations implementing PD 1586 (EISS)
4) DENR Administrative Order No. 11 (series of 1992)
- Supplementing DAO 21 series of 1992 and providing for Programmatic Compliance Procedures within the EIS

III. PRESERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES

1)PD 705 : Amended Forestry Reform Code
- Codifies, updates and revises all forestry laws and emphasizes sustainable utilization of forest resources
2) PD 953 & 1153
- Laws penalizing illegal cutting of trees
3) PD 331
- Requires all public forests to be developed on a sustainable yield basis
4) PD 1067: Water Code of the Philippines
- Integrates all laws governing the ownership, appropriation, use, exploitation development, conservation and protection of
the country’s water resources
5) PD 1198
- Reinforces restoration of mined-out areas to their original condition to the extent possible
6) RA 8550: Fisheries Code of the Philippines
- Defines policies on the protection, conservation, and effective management of fisheries stock as well as identifying
allowable fishing methods in the country’s coastal waters.
7) RA 9275: Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (PCWA)
- An act providing for a comprehensive water quality management and for other purposes
8) RA 9147
- Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001
9) DAO 15-90
- Regulations governing the utilization, development and management of mangrove resources
10) DAO 2000 – 29
- Guidelines regulating the harvesting and utilization of forest products within community-based forest management areas
11) RA 7586 – National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992 (NIPAS)
- DAO 25 –IRR
- Set forth in detail the processes by which DENR and other concerned institutions and agencies will establish and manage
the NIPAS
12) RA 7942
- Philippine Mining Act of 1995
- An act instituting a new system of mineral resources exploitation, development, utilization and conservation
- DAO Series of 1996
- IRR of RA 7942
13) PD 1219
- Coral Resources Development and Conservation Decree
- A decree providing for the exploration, exploitation, utilization and conservation of coral resources
14) RA 9168 : Philippine Plant Variety Protection Act of 2002
- An act to provide protection to new plant varieties, establishing a national plant variety protection board

IV. OTHERS
1) Executive Order No. 259
- An act to rationalize the soap and detergent surfactant industry and thereby promote and expand the utilization of
chemicals derived from coconut oil and for other purposes
2) RA 9211: Tobacco Regulation Act
3) DAO 2000 -92
- Chemical Control order for asbestos (CCO)

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 Environmental Ethics, Laws and Policies
- In accordance to RA 6969 and DAO 29 Series of 1992
4) DAO 97-38
- CCO for cyanide and cyanide compounds
5) RA 8485 : Animal Welfare Act of 1998
- An act to promote animal welfare in the Philippines
6) RA 8435: Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997
7) RA 3983
- An act to protect wild flowers and plants in the Philippines
- To prescribe conditions under which they may be collected, kept , sold, exported and for other purposes
8) RA 9792 : Climate Change Act of 2009
- An act mainstreaming climate change into government policy formulations, establishing the framework strategy and
program on climate change, creating for this purpose the Climate Change Commission and for other purposes
9) RA 9367 – Biofuel Act of 2006
- A mandatory biofuels standard which requires a 5% ethanol blend for gasoline within two years, increasing to 10% within
4 years under the approval of a new National Biofuels Board
- A 1% biodiesel blend for diesel is required within 3 months, to be increased to 2% within 2 years