Explain environmental attitude considering the view of classical and neoclassical economic

In classical economics, the environmental attitude is primarily utilitarian and anthropocentric. Nature is viewed as a source of raw materials and a sink for waste, existing to serve human economic activity. The attitude is one of resource exploitation for production and wealth accumulation, with little consideration for intrinsic environmental value or long-term ecological impacts beyond their direct effect on resource availability for future production.

Neoclassical economics introduces a more complex, though still anthropocentric, environmental attitude. It acknowledges that environmental quality and natural resources can be considered economic goods that provide utility and can be valued. Environmental attitude here is often expressed through preferences and willingness to pay for environmental amenities or to avoid environmental damage. Environmental problems are seen as market failures (externalities), and the attitude is to correct these failures through economic instruments like taxes, subsidies, or property rights, aiming for an optimal level of environmental protection based on cost-benefit analysis.