Utilitarianism is the best approach to environmental issues...?

Question

Or is it?

Answer 1

No, utilitarianism generally does not work with the environment.  People have a difficult time valuing the health and life of wildlife and the environment, making it very difficult to make comparisons.  It is too difficult to determine utility for non-humans.

Answer 2

I think its a very good approach. If we look at the environment for its utility, that means it provides us with something. If we value that something, we are more likely to conserve that resource to make sure we manage it in a sustainable way. When you deplete a resource, it means you never saw the utility of it, you didn't know its value.

Maybe I'm taking utilitarianism a bit beyond what it is...