•For
environmentalist, it is important to “think straight” in order not to be distracted from the three key ethical issues that most ominously threaten both our local and global environment. These
are:
–the
generation and proliferation of forms of ionized radiation (in atomic weapons, DU weaponry, nuclear fuel,
nuclear waste, etc.
);
–the
evolution and diffusion of novel microbes and familiar pathogens in more virulent forms; and
–the
transformation of the global climate regime.
•Addressing these
issues should be the primary concern of those committed to environmental ethics.