Environmental Ethics for Canadian: Environmental Sustainability and Scarcity of Resources

Chapter 12 Case Study Critique
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Chapter 12 Case Study Critique
This is the case study for Chapter 12 of Environmental Ethics for Canadians (2nd edition), which focuses on giving more space for grizzly bears. The case study makes an argument that human beings believe they are only dependent on other humans, which makes them neglect all other species. The growing population is the main evidence of this thinking and it is dangerous in that it causes humans to occupy spaces needed for other species. This argument is valid for several reasons as will be highlighted in this paper using two themes used in the chapter: environmental sustainability and scarcity of resources.
Environmental sustainability is a major concern in the chapter, especially where a growing population is associated with economic development. The main question by Williston (2016, p. 317) is whether development goals are at odds with environmental sustainability. The case study reflects this question by illustrating that expanding population and development practices cause humans to occupy most of the spaces that other species should occupy. Additionally, the argument is validated by considering what happens to the environment when the population grows and such development practices as food growth increases. According to Coogan et al. (2019), increased farming causes habitat loss for endangered species, with populations of animal species declining by 60% and freshwater species reducing by 83%. While development helps improve human lives, this happens at the expense of other species, which could be devastating for the overall sustainability of the planet. Observers believe that the new dimension of sustainability is the interdependence of all species (Hutchins, 2020). Therefore, the case study makes an argument that grizzly bears deserve a space of their own whe...