Environmental Ethics & Sustainability Flashcards

Environmental justice is best described as the fair distribution of:

Answer: Environmental benefits and burdens across all communities regardless of race or income

Environmental justice addresses the disproportionate exposure of low-income and minority communities to environmental hazards and advocates for equitable distribution of both environmental benefits and burdens.

What is the primary ethical purpose of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)?

Answer: To evaluate potential environmental consequences of a proposed project before approval

An EIA is a proactive, preventive tool that identifies and evaluates potential environmental effects of a proposed project or policy before a decision is made, supporting informed and ethical decision-making.

Which ethical obligation do organizations have when they discover that their operations have caused unexpected environmental harm?

Answer: To disclose the harm to affected stakeholders and regulatory authorities promptly

Transparency and accountability require organizations to promptly disclose environmental harm to affected parties and regulators, enabling corrective action and maintaining public trust.

A company claims its products are 'eco-friendly' without any independent verification or specific data. This behavior violates which core ethical principle?

Answer: Honesty and transparency

Making unverified environmental claims violates the ethical principle of honesty and transparency, which requires organizations to communicate truthfully and substantiate their environmental assertions.

What is the ethical significance of biodiversity in corporate environmental responsibility?

Answer: Organizations have an ethical duty to avoid actions that irreversibly harm ecosystems and species

Ethical environmental responsibility extends to biodiversity because ecosystems provide essential services and species loss is often irreversible, creating a moral obligation to avoid actions that permanently damage natural systems.

How does the concept of 'supply chain ethics' relate to environmental responsibility?

Answer: Organizations have an ethical obligation to assess and address environmental impacts throughout their entire supply chain

Ethical environmental responsibility requires organizations to evaluate and address environmental impacts across their full supply chain, recognizing that upstream and downstream activities contribute to the organization's overall environmental footprint.

Which type of corporate reporting specifically discloses an organization's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance to stakeholders?

Answer: Sustainability report

A sustainability report (also called a CSR or ESG report) discloses an organization's environmental, social, and governance performance, enabling stakeholders to evaluate non-financial impacts and hold organizations accountable.