Promotion of a Societal Environmental Ethic: The Next Step in Environmental a Wareness

Abstract

Aldo Leopold claimed that an environmental awareness that required no change in behavior was merely a first stage in the development of a sincere environmental ethic. Environmental education in Taiwan has successfully made the general public aware of the issues of environmental protection, but has done little to move people to environmentally appropriate behavior. This article suggests that the next step in the environmental movement is the promotion of a societal environmental ethic. The article 1) defines societal environmental ethic; 2) lists the necessary elements of an environmental ethic; 3) provides four general procedures for advancing a societal environmental ethic; and 4) notes the unique contribution that the Environmental Prot ection Administration can make in the effort.