Moral Ecology: An Interdisciplinary Framework for Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability challenges increasingly reflect ethical and governance deficits rather than purely technical limitations. This study examines moral ecology in Nigeria as an empirical and normative framework for understanding the relationship between ethical orientation, environmental behavior, governance accountability, and environmental justice. Data were collected from 210 respondents drawn from environmental agencies, educational institutions, faith-based organizations, and local communities using a cross-sectional mixed-method design. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Pearson correlation, and independent samples t-tests, whereas qualitative responses were thematically coded. Results indicate that although sustainability awareness is relatively high (68%), explicit understanding of moral ecology is significantly lower (41%), χ²(1, N = 210) = 18.42, p < .01. A strong positive correlation was found between moral responsibility and pro-environmental behavior, r (208) = .62, p < .01. Significant disparities in environmental burden between low- and high-income communities were also observed (t(208) = 3.94, p < .01.The Findings demonstrate that EO significantly predicts environmental action and governance expectations. This study concludes that sustainability interventions must incorporate structured moral-ecological education, reforms in governance accountability, and justice-centered policy frameworks to achieve long-term environmental resilience