Issues on environmental ethics in regional sustainable development
区域可持续发展中的环境伦理问题

The human race made great progress in science and technology and created unprecedented civilization in the 20th century. However, at the beginning of the new century, there are a number of challenges such as population, resources, environment and development etc. that have to be dealt with. Underlying all these challenges is the question of correctly understanding the relationship between humans and the environment and well coordinating the relationship between man and nature. The relationship between man and nature is reflected in man's dependence on and conscious activity in nature. Man cannot survive without nature, yet he is a force that can change nature. Man wants to change nature, but he is also restricted by nature. The relationship between man and nature is dependence, adaptation, conflict and harmony. The content of the relationship between man and nature changes as the human society changes. Man began to rethink his development pattern. The cruel reality requires that man should carefully examine the process of societal development, summarize the experience and lessons of traditional development patterns, seek new development patterns that reflect harmony between man and nature and responsibility to future generations. Strong anthropocentrism ignores the survival and development need of the ecological system and the long-term value of the ecological system to the human race. This approach over-emphasizes man's position and disregards natural objects, which runs into conflict with sustainable development and has been losing ground as a major paradigm. Biocen-trism weakens man's position and is too radical to be acceptable. Therefore it is necessary to build a system of environmental ethics fit for our times. The humans are a part of the natural world on the earth. Only when environmental protection starts from enhancing the overall interest of the earth can there be greater safety and tolerance. Human activities should be regulated by respect of natural laws and the intrinsic values of natural laws. And this is the basis of building the development pattern of civilization in the new time. Therefore, it is the duty of the scientific community to make publicity to and educate decision-makers and the general public on how to understand, respect and protect nature. Ecological and environmental impact should be taken into account in studying morality issues and in scientific research activities such as project evaluation and appraisal. Government regulation, market mechanism and moral regulation can work together. As to the conducts of enterprises and local governments, from a humanistic point of view, social price should be taken into consideration and as social interest is more important than corporate interest, we should not abuse non-renewable resources and should resist consumerism; from a naturalist point of view, we should carefully handle fragile environment, respect life, species and nature. Projects that utilize and change nature s