Sun Moon Lake: Rule Utilitarianism

fines for polluting locations that were once clean. Local residents of the areas would have to deal with increased traffic and pollution. Environmentalists would be outraged by the damage done to locations that ought to be preserved for either biological necessity (water sources) or natural beauty. There is even a small chance that irreversible damage may be done to these locations, making them less desirable to visit. In short, if this moral rule were adopted, companies and countries would experience a gain in the short term. However, those short term gains are outweighed by the potential negative consequences that would come from widespread acceptance of this moral rule. Therefore, Rule Utilitarianism would rule this unethical. …show more content…
The first attribute to test is the intensity of the decision. Taiwan is a rather small country and was characterized as having a struggling economy and a relatively high unemployment rate in the 2000s. The money that could be made through tourism would be very helpful to its economy. New hotels would also bring many jobs to the area. The hotel companies could also use the money they are making to cover any environmental damage they make to a degree. This is where the intensity of the harms is. If too many hotels are built around Sun Moon Lake, it may be tougher to regulate those buildings, which would cause an increase in pollution. Evidence also shows that the presence of tourism has a positive correlation with the amount of pollution created. More hotels would lead to more people, which would lead to more pollution (Greiner). Locals and environmentalists would be extremely unhappy that perhaps the most beautiful location on their island was being tainted by tall buildings and pollution. Sustained pollution would also lead to the lake becoming less and less attractive to tourists year after year. The intensity of harming the lake beyond what could be contained would be devastating for the area, and could not be fixed by the profits …show more content…
Although the money will be made relatively quickly after the action occurs, the profits made off of the tourists may not directly be injected back into Taiwan’s economy or the preservation of Sun Moon Lake. The benefits of the profits may not even be felt by the locals or tourists, which lowers the benefit’s weight. The harms may not be immediately felt, but when they are felt they will hit very close to the source. The lake will be directly affected by the pollution created by the hotels, which could lower profits in the future. The harms outweigh the benefits