Published: May 2, 2023 7.20am EDT

https://theconversation.com/lets-protect-nature-but-not-merely-for-the-sake-of-humans-197337

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1. Simon P. JamesAssociate Professor of Philosophy, Durham University

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Simon P. James does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Environmentalists rightly urge us to consider the long-term effects of our actions. Plastic bags, they point out, can takehundreds of yearsto decompose, while radioactive waste can remain dangerous forhundreds of thousands of years. It could take the Earth’s biosphereseveral million yearsto recover from human-caused…