Jurnal Moral Kemasyarakatan
Vol 11 No 1 (2026): Volume 11, Number 1 - June 2026

An Environmental Ethics Review of the Moral Dilemma Faced by Colored Stone Miners on Kolbano Beach

VERA VELWYATI (Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Indonesia)
IRENE LUDJI (Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
02 Jul 2026

Abstract

The moral dilemma of miners on Kolbano Beach, South Central Timor (Timor Tengah Selatan), East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur) arises when they must dig into the soil to extract colored stones to meet their economic needs, even though this activity harms the environment. If they stop mining, no other occupation offers a comparable income, which explains why mining continues to this day. This study aims to describe the factors behind the moral dilemma faced by colored stone miners on Kolbano Beach and to analyze this dilemma from the perspective of environmental ethics. The study employs a qualitative, narrative-descriptive approach. Drawing on Larry Rasmussen's environmental ethics and Sallie McFague's distributive justice, the study calls on humans to pursue a sustainable life for all of creation in the future. As moral beings who continuously interact with nature, miners hold a duty to love nature as they love themselves and to treat nature as a moral subject. Humans also need to take responsibility for their moral decisions toward all creation through critical moral reasoning, which builds the character of humility and supports justice for all creation.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

JMK

Publisher

Subject

Education Social Sciences

Description

Journal Moral Kemasyarakatan is published by the Pendidikan Pancasila dan Kewarganegaraan Study Program of Universitas Kanjuruhan Malang and Asosiasi Profesi Pendidikan Pancasila dan Kewarganegaraan Indonesia (AP3KnI) of East Java, which includes the results of research on character, moral action ...