Green Development and the Land Ethic

Attempts to understand and respond to the threat of anthropogenic climate change,the defining challenge of our era,increasingly reveal the inadequacy of the dominant conceptual systems of thought.Recognizing the need for a fundamental change in the dominant models of industrial development,the concept of sustainability has quickly become the idea around which contemporary environmentalism is centered.This essay argues that while the concept of sustainability is important,it ultimately does not address the root of the ecological crisis.With Aldo Leopold(1887-1948),I argue that it is an"evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity"that we develop what he calls a"land ethic."If we are truly to address the root causes of the ecological crisis,humanity must stop conceiving of proper land use merely in terms of economic expedience and recognize that we are ultimately a member and citizen of the wider"biotic community."In the end,green development is development which is compatible with the integrity,stability,and beauty of the nature.