Bioethics and Environmental Ethics: The Story of the Human Body as a Natural Ecosystem

Abstract

Is there a parallel between climate change and our body’s temperature or non-compliance and failure to act on global warming? This paper proposes a model which describes the human body as part of Nature’s ecosystem. By utilising the power of observation to identify a problem, environmental and applied ethics can guide action and instigate change, not only to change the predicted plot of climate change, but also the wellbeing of humans in life’s story. Through a discussion on human autonomy and lessons learned from the past, earth’s inhabitants can identify a balance between beneficence and non-maleficence for themselves and our planet.

KEYWORDS:

• Observational medicine
• empirical bioethics
• preventive health
• responsibility
• environmental theory
• climate change

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Zoe-Athena Papalois begun her MBBS degree in King's College London in 2016 and her intercalated B.Sc degree in Anatomy, Developmental and Human Biology at King's College London in 2019.

Kyriaki-Barbara Papalois completed her B.Sc with First class Honours in Biomedical Science from Queen Mary University of London in 2015 and started studying medicine at Bart's and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2018.