Abstract
Decades of research have documented continuous tension between anthropocentric needs and the environment’s capacity to accommodate those needs and support basic human welfare. The way in which society perceives, manages, and ultimately utilizes natural resources can be influenced by underlying environmental ethics, or the moral relationship that humans share with the natural world. This discourse often centers on the complex interplay between the tangible and intangible benefits associated with nonhuman nature (e.g., green space), both of which are relevant to public health. When ecosystem degradation is coupled with socio-demographic transitions, additional concerns related to distributional equity and justice can arise. In this commentary, we explore how environmental ethics can inform the connection between the ecosystem services from green space and socially just strategies of health promotion.
Highlights
IntroductionA transformative perspective on public health requires insight from the environmental field [1]
A transformative perspective on public health requires insight from the environmental field [1].From Hardin’s seminal essay on the tragedy of the commons [2] to the contemporary discussion on public goods [3], society is reminded that natural resources are limited and represent a critical component of the system that supports the human condition
One’s perception, management, and use of natural resources, all of which are inherently cultural, can be influenced by environmental ethics, a branch of philosophy that explores the moral relations between humans and nonhuman nature [4,5]
Summary
A transformative perspective on public health requires insight from the environmental field [1]. Especially economists and environmental scientists, anthropocentric conversations about nature’s value typically revolve around the benefits it provides to people, which are often described as ecosystem services. Through this lens, the value of nature is often assessed through factors and processes that generate tangible outputs affecting human health and wellbeing [7,8,9]. The value of nature is often assessed through factors and processes that generate tangible outputs affecting human health and wellbeing [7,8,9] Such a pragmatic approach is undoubtedly important, but environmental ethics suggests the value of nature and ecosystem services transcends these purely quantitative metrics [6]. This article examines the role of environmental ethics in health promotion by exploring the complex concept of ecosystem services and considering the health implications of non-human nature (e.g., green spaces) through an environmental justice perspective
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