Revisiting the Concept of Land in Aldo Leopold's Land Ethics

Land is an indispensable aspect of our lives, animals and humans alike because almost all our livelihood is gotten from the land. It therefore beckons on our moral sensibilities and conscience to take responsibility for our land. Leopold's conception of land is holistic and encompassing; comprising the soil, plants, water and animals. It does not translate to animals being land, it simply seeks for an ecocentric rather than anthropocentric or biocentric attitude to the environment. Humans should be only a part of the ecosystem not the conqueror of it. This work simply revisits this concept of land again in the light of new realities within us today. Global warming, ozone layer depletion, greenhouse effects, climate change and the rest. It suggests that Leopold's concept of land should include the climate also. Human moral sensibilities should be drawn to the damage done by them to our air. The holistic conception of land in Aldo Leopold's Land Ethics should also not exclude our air; the atmosphere and the climate.