EECP Graduate Certificate Paper Archive
All, John
Positional Self-Interest and Disparate Cultural Outlooks as Limiting Factors to Agreements
at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro - 1993
Abstract:
The inability of the participants at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development (UNCED) Rio summit to come to any agreement on a wide range of environmental
and development issues is symptomatic of the participants general unwillingness to
comprise. Nations constructed their positions (often along regional lines) prior to
UNCED and refused to waver far from them. This positional bargaining meant that only
non-substantive agreements could be reached. Compromise is not possible when nations
are locked into differing rigid positions. The impasses which inhibited UNCED negotiations
were primarily caused by the polarization of the world into the interest groups of
the northern affluent industrialized countries and the southern developing nations.
This paper examines the cause of this polarization and it's effects at Rio. It looks
at what was archived at Rio, the discord which results from the maldistribution of
financial resources across the world, and the rancor that developed between Northern
and Southern nations over responsibility for worldwide environmental degradation.
This paper shows how the gulf between nations affected specific negotiations at Rio;
specifically the Forestry Accord, Climate Change Treaty and overpopulation. It is
concluded that financial questions plagued the Rio negotiations and will limit future
implementation of the accords.
Armstrong, Frank
Water Apportionment in Georgia: Economics, Ecology, Equity, and Future Generations
Abstract:
A significant drought, interstate water conflicts, and burgeoning growth have led
Georgians to think seriously about their once plentiful water supply and how it should
be allocated to satisfy economic, ecological and societal needs. This paper presents
an overview of Georgia water law nested within the concepts of Federalism and the
potential impact of the Public Trust Doctrine on water governance in Georgia.
Askew, Wallace
Anomalies of Scientific Beliefs With Regard to Educational Practice - 1993
Abstract:
The scientific paradigm, as productive as it is in many areas, spurred within my own
intellect an intuition, frightful and disconcerting misgivings as I approached the
study of the process of educating human beings. The model of human beings this paradigm
implies is one of a machine. The misgivings I have with the "process-product" scientific
paradigm is assuaged by C.J.B. Macmillan and James Garrison in their book on erotetic
theory - a theory based on teacher and student questions within the teaching/learning
situation. They offer an alternative to the the "process-product" paradigm, just as
qualitatively based research offers another. Alternatives are in order, if not demanded,
considering the abysmal results of quantitative research in making a significant difference
in a field that, I believe, is more art than science. One needs only to observe that
since the scientific approach has been implemented into the programs of educational
investigation, education has not improved appreciably; if anything, it has deteriorated.
The glut of specialized information gained from utilization of the process-product
paradigm has become a smokescreen obfuscating the discovery of knowledge concerning
what constitutes effective teaching/learning. What is missing is a holistic approach
rather than a reductionistic separation of teacher, student, and subject matter domains.
Contemporary planetary events and conditions and the subsequent conscious and subconscious
reactions to these events and conditions demand a change in the paradigm used to approach
education. The traditional paradigms inherent in the thinking of society at large
must be altered if humankind is to prevail. Macmillan and Garrison offer one promising
alternative. The questions and answers examined in their erotetic approach to education
might possibly evolve meaningful answers to pressing questions of our time.
Bender, Sherri
Environmental Education and Environmental Ethics in Southeastern Summer Camps - 1992
Abstract:
A common thread in many discussions about the environment is the need for education.
This education is taking place at school, at home, on TV, and even in summer camp.
Camp has traditionally been a place where children go to partake in outdoor recreation
and learn independence and special skills. The major emphasis of activities in camp
is fun and recreation. Although this has been true in the past, things are changing.
Because of it's outdoor setting, camp is an ideal place for environmental education.
This study attempts to find out what Southeastern camps are teaching about the environment
and whether they are teaching an environmental ethic. This study used a questionnaire
to find out how many Southeastern summer camps offer environmental education in their
camp program. The study found that most of the camps that responded do teach environmental
ethics in some way. While the amount varies if the camp is an environmental camp or
a recreational camp, the same activities and concepts are taught. The results did
not vary a lot between different types of camps; the general trend shown in the total
responses was followed by each category of camp.
Berg, Ed
Silk Purses from Sow's Ears? Alternative Uses of Nuclear Weapons Facilities and Contaminated
Areas: The Savannah River Site Example - 1993
Abstract:
Recent revelations about poorly managed nuclear facilities in the Eastern Bloc as
well as the Chernobyl disaster have forcibly raised the issue of what to do with these
facilities and the lands which they have contaminated. The US is by no means exempt
from such questions. Contamination problems at nuclear sites limit to varying degrees
the options for their future use. Without a multi-billion dollar remediation program,
contaminated buildings and lands cannot be placed on the open market, for reasons
of public safety and liability, and a government presence - that of the resent government
and all its successors - will be required in perpetuity on any human time scale. Strange
as it may seem, however, this restriction generates constructive possibilities for
these facilities which might not be practical or even possible with properties that
are still marketable. In this paper I examine in detail one such facility: the Savannah
River Site near Aiken, SC. My basic thesis is that the site should be re-organized
with a dual mission as a clean energy "think tank" and as a large-scale ecological
"laboratory." The clean energy aspect could be elaborated at most of the nuclear weapons
production sites, whereas the ecological laboratory concept is most suitable to the
larger sites. To make my argument, I first outline the environmental impact of nuclear
operations on the Savannah River Site. Next, I review a range of possible alternative
scenarios for the site, and then draw out some of their environmental, social and
political implications.
Bratton, Susan
Battling Satan in the Wilderness: Antagonism, Spirituality and Wild Nature in the
Four Gospels - 1985
Abstract:
American attitudes towards wilderness have grown from a complex of cultural roots.
Among these are the Judeo-Christian traditions, which still exert a strong influence
in today's largely secularized and technological society. Although works such as Rodrick
Nash's Wilderness and the American Mind have reviewed the primary trends and the most
important sources, scholars have completed very little detailed work on the perceptions
of philosophical writings of western culture. The purpose of this study is to investigate
the relationship of wilderness to major themes in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John; and to determine if the gospel writers portray wild nature as an adverse
or favorable setting for spiritual activity and events. This study finds that the
gospel writers portray wild nature as the place of spiritual encounter, both divine
and satanic. The themes of prayer, rest or withdrawal, visionary experience and temptation
all emphasize the personal or individual in relation to the wilderness. Since most
adverse events, including verbal confrontations and bodily injury, occur in buildings
or urban settings, one concludes the gospel writers do not portray wild nature as
an adverse location, but rather find the synagogue, temple, and praetorium to be the
proffered habitation of evil.
Causey, Ann
1988
Abstract:
Choi, Joon Won
A Critique on Current Environmental Movement - 1994
Abstract:
We need cooperation on a global scale in order to solve the current environmental
problems. How to obtain the global cooperation is very problematic, simply because
humans have never attempted cooperation on this scale before. Cooperation theory which
successfully explains how cooperative patterns of animal behaviors evolved may be
applied to human environmental problems. This application is rather limited because
the difference between human and animal is not considered but it gives us an insight
into the current environmental movement. Given that the two requirements of reciprocity
and the shadow of the future are sufficient to establish cooperation among selfish
participants, we need to seriously consider the environmental movements as they are
currently practiced. 1) Biocentrism is not always the best choice because it makes
the environmental movement a zero sum game. This also makes cooperation much more
difficult than anthropocentrism. 2) Doomsday scenario may be helpful in promoting
ecological conciseness for the general public, but it can undermine cooperation when
the general public has been already educated. 3) The group size is very important
for the establishment of cooperation. Since we never achieved cooperation on a global
scale, it could be more beneficial to set goal of cooperation on a smaller scale.
Christoph, Erica
Historic Preservation v. Human Health: Issues Raised by the Presence of Lead Paint
Abstract:
The federal government has established its interest in both protecting public health
and preserving the historic built landscape of the country. What is less clear, however,
is the manner in which the government should mitigate the problems that arise when
these interests conflict, as they do when the danger of lead-based paint is weighed
against the historical integrity of many of the homes in which it is found. While
certain ethical frameworks, especially environmental justice perspectives, indicate
that public health should trump historic preservation, the concrete realities of dealing
with lead paint in historic homes actually suggest that in the majority of cases neither
concern must be sacrificed. Through a careful analysis of historic homes--one which
recognizes varying risks of lead poisoning from architectural features that themselves
carry varying levels of historical significance the interest of public health can
be served in tandem with the interest of historic preservation.
Coale, Harwell
Wetland Conservation and Mitigation: Ethical Perspectives - 1993
Abstract:
Historically wetlands were considered to be worthless land which served as an obstacle
to progress and fostered disease, but they are now widely viewed as valuable natural
resources and unique ecosystems. While there there has been some success in wetland
mitigation, there has been a great deal of failure, especially in the area of forested
wetland mitigation. Great success in wetland mitigation could be achieved if those
responsible for implementing the mitigation adopted an environmental ethic towards
the wetlands they destroyed. If developers embraced such an ethic then they would
avoid impacts to wetlands at all costs, minimize the impacts when impacting wetlands
was unavoidable, and feel an obligation to replace what they have destroyed. This
holds perhaps the greatest promise for the success of wetland mitigation because developers
would work to ensure that the mitigation sites successfully developed into wetlands
as opposed to simply complying with the stated requirements of the permit. Such an
attitude would prove especially beneficial in the case of creating forested wetlands.
The long period of time associated with the development of forested wetlands requires
long term maintenance and monitoring to ensure success. Much of the failure in forested
wetland mitigation is due to lack of such monitoring of the progress of the sites
and conducting additional modifications to the sites when they do not develop as anticipated.
Regulatory agencies do not have the resources to take on actives such as these. Therefore,
if real success is to be archived in forested wetland mitigation, the burden is upon
the individuals responsible for the wetland destruction to take all necessary steps
in order to ensure the success of the mitigation. Adoption of an environmental ethic
by these individuals is a mechanism by which to achieve these goals.
Cogswell, Gini
Welcoming the Thicket: The Role of Service Learning in Environmental Education - 2001
Abstract:
Service learning is a form of experimental education where students are encouraged
to apply classroom concepts in addressing community needs. Many practitioners argue
that service learning fosters the growth and development of the student as a whole
by encouraging their personal, interpersonal, cognitive, and intellectual growth.
This holistic approach to student development parallels and complements the encompassing
discipline of environmental education. In addition, the philosophical changes that
service learning encourages may result in behavioral changes that reflect environmental
values. My paper argues that service learning has a definite role in environmental
education. It explores service learning as both a pedagogy and a philosophy and provides
a historical and modern day account of environmental education.
Cowell, C. Mark
Ecological Restoration and Environmental Ethics - 1992
Abstract:
Restoration ecology is a recently emerged branch of scientific ecology that challenges
many of the traditional tenets of environmentalists. Restoration of ecosystems, "applied
ecology," has the potential to advance theoretical understanding to such an extent
that scientists may gain significant prowess in manipulating the environment. This
poses fundamental problems to the widely held view that "Nature Knows Best," or as
this stance has been characterized, environmental therapeutic nihilism. Instead of
an overriding concern for preserving areas from human influences, philosophical discussions
by restorationists are frequently optimistic about an increasingly active human participation
within ecosystems. Despite the environmentally dangerous possibilities that this form
of science and technology present, restoration offers an equally attractive potential
for human interaction with the environment. Here I outline the primary claims that
have been made for ecological restoration, examine inconsistencies with restorationists'
philosophical position, and propose a reassessment of the definition of restoration
that may aid in the clarification and development of a system of environmental ethics
that recognizes human relationships with the environment as potentially symbiotic
and positive.
Crescenzo, Daniel L.
The Principle of Naturalistic Preservation: A Guide to Moral Interaction with Ecosystems
Abstract:
Aldo Leopold famously argued that we are plain citizens of the biotic community, and
that our relationship with this community is therefore an ethical one. In this paper
I propose a normative principle to guide our interactions with ecosystems in accordance
with Leopold's ecocentrism: the principle of naturalistic preservation. According
to this principle, actions which preserve the evolved dynamic relationships between
species and between species and their environment within a given ecosystem should
be promoted, and those which do not should be discouraged. In order to demonstrate
what this principle would look like in action, I examine a hypothetical proposal to
introduce mountain lions (Puma concolor) into southwestern North Carolina in order
to control wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations. I conclude that it would be right to
do so according to the principle of naturalistic preservation. I also discuss more
generally some practical implications of following this principle and why it applies
most urgently to human beings as causal agents.
Crew, Seth
Ecosystem Services, Neoliberalism, and the Shifting Values of Nature - 2015
Abstract:
This paper examines ecosystem service valuation as a market-based conservation tool,
which comes as one of the numerous cost-benefit oriented environmental policies developed
under the expansion of neoliberalism. Ecosystem services have been instrumental in
some cases by promoting biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and poverty alleviation,
but they have the potential to undermine conservation of ecosystems in some cases
and neglect or exacerbate social equity concern. I argue that these concerns are inevitable
under the logic of neoliberalism, because market enrollment precludes values other
than an objects/functions commodity value or exchange value; aesthetic, spiritual,
cultural, or other non-market values are obscured in the process of extending markets
to ecosystems. The paper first gives an overview and description of ecosystem service
valuation tools; second, lists the positives and drawbacks of ecosystem service valuation
while referring to specific cases; and finally, discusses ecosystem valuation in the
context of neoliberalism, and relates market environmentalism with environmental values.
I conclude with the suggestion that ecosystem service valuation can be useful, but
we should take care to package market-based policies with ethical concerns and social
controls.
Curry, Betsy Ann
The State of Urban Agriculture and the Quest for Profitability - 2014
Abstract:
Over 80% of Americans reside in urban areas. With so many people flocking to these
urban centers, it is vital that cities are prepared to handle food distribution and
production closer to the sources of consumption. If these cities cannot provide sustainable
solutions to food production, the U.S. could experience food security issues. Presently,
the United States has an elaborate food distribution system but fresh food isnt always
transported into urban areas. Accessibility to affordable vegetables, fruits, dairy
products, and other foodstuff that make a balanced diet are less abundant in many
lower income cities and neighborhoodsclassifying some areas as food deserts. To avoid
or reverse the incidence of food deserts, this paper examines the best practices of
seasoned veterans Seattle, WA and New York City, NY, as well as Detroit, MI which
is uniquely positioned for urban agriculture due to its abundance of mostly non-contaminated,
vacant lots throughout the city limits. These three cities are experiencing obstacles,
such as the establishment of municipal laws to support urban farming, and advancements,
such as the very intriguing profit seeking urban farmers in New York City and Detroit.
Generating significant revenue is perhaps the real future for agricultural production
within cities. Finally, this paper assesses our very own Atlanta, GA, which is a city
actively transforming its green status through various initiatives and demonstrates
that it can be a model city in a position to greatly and positively impact its future
if the proper steps are taken.
Curtin, Pat
The Right to Remain Indian: A Case Study of the Adequacy of Journalistic Professional
Norms to Inform Environmental Reporting - 1995
Abstract:
This paper examines environmental coverage of a water-quality standards conflict between
the city of Albuquerque and Isleta Pueblo as it appeared in the Albuquerque Journal.
Quantitative and qualitative content analyses demonstrate that reporters presented
the issue to readers in terms of short-term political conflict, with local government
sources predominating and controlling the interpretation of issues. Because the actual
environmental aspects of the controversy were not explored, the coverage does not
examine the long-term impacts of the water-quality standards proposed, nor are scientific
or environmental advocacy sources used. The result is that the Pueblo's position is
marginalized in the coverage, and the import of this environmental issue to their
cultural survival is lost. The coverage presented, however, does fulfill current professional
norms and standards for news reporting. Although the results of one case study cannot
be generalized, these results sustain those of other studies, the combined weight
of which suggest that current professional news reporting standards, and therefore
social responsibility theory, are inadequate to produce coverage that informs readers
about environmental issues. An alternative ethical basis for determining professional
reporting norms, communitarian ethics, appears to offer more promise for producing
environmental coverage that examines these issues outside of a short-term political
conflict frame. As a pragmatic alternative, however, communitarian ethics falls short,
although it holds much promise as an informed basis for professional environmental
reporting norms.
Daniel, Jenna Brown
The Agricultural and Cultural Repercussions of Mountaintop Removal - 2011
Abstract:
Appalachia has been described as the richest and most developed ecosystem in the United
States and even in North america. Juxtaposing this rich and historically important
area are the large coal companies which seek the mineral that has come to power our
nation and its activities for decades. Although coal mining is not beneficial for
the biodiversity and agriculture in Appalachia, it does employ thousands of individuals
and keeps Americans from becoming more dependent on foreign supplies of energy. Since
the 1970s a new technique of coal mining, called mountaintop removal(an extension
of strip mining), has become increasingly common in coal mining practices. This paper
will explore the process of mountaintop removal in Appalachia and the environmental
effects it has on the land and its people. The conclusion will argue for the cessation
of mountaintop removal based on an ecologically sensible environmental ethic.
Draney, Michael
Ethical Obligations Toward Insect Pests - 1995
Abstract:
This paper examines the implications of considering the values and the rights of intersect
pests in determining which insect control efforts to pursue. This consideration will
depend on the scale of the control effort, this is, whether the control operates at
the level of individual pest organism, populations, or the entire pest species. I
argue that an individual organism's rights cannot be taken into account in planning
insect control, because of the practical impossibility of granting it anything but
infinitesimal moral significance. However, in harming populations of insects, numbers
become important and effects on local ecosystems should be considered. Given this,
it still may be right to control or even eliminate a population if it's negative value
to humans is sufficiently high in relation to its ecological value. Eradication of
a species involves irrevocable loss. I propose that species are unique individual
entities (as opposed to abstract classes of organisms) and that our ethical obligations
to insect pests lie in acknowledging the right of these species to continued, if controlled,
existence. At this level, they must receive moral consideration in any actions taken.
Dyer, Mary
Shifting Towards a New Environmental Ethic - 1992
Abstract:
Although they share the common goal of protecting the environment, reform environmentalism
and environmental ethics have different foci. Environmental ethicists emphasize the
need for a fundamental change in human attitude towards the environment, and tend
to be concerned with environmental degradation as a general problem. Reform environmentalists
tend to concentrate on specific, immediate problems, and work to correct them by changing
policies and laws. Reform environmentalism deals with the present, while environmental
ethicists attempt to develop a new environmental ethic for the future. Although the
criticism that reform environmentalism fails to address the underlying causes of environmental
problems is valid, a complete focus on some future ethic as an alternative to reform
environmentalism may have its own shortcomings. This paper argues that some effort
must be directed towards the middle ground between these two extremes, to shift human
behavior and attitude along a transition from pure reform measures towards a new ethical
framework. This approach must address concrete environmental problems while at the
same time plant the seeds for a more fundamental attitude change. The benefits of
this approach are discussed primarily with regard to the difficulties of effecting
a new environmental ethic. First, some of the views presented in the environmental
ethics literature regarding humanity's relationship to nature are described, as illustration
of the potential new ethic to be adopted. Next, some issues are raised with respect
to the concerns related to the actual adoption mentioned above. Finally, important
characteristics of a transitional approach are discussed. The need to effect actual
change requires more integration between present efforts and the future objectives.
Instead of working only at the extremes of reform environmentalism and ethics, albeit
simultaneously, some consideration must be given to making the transition from one
to the other.
Ebel, Edgard
1985
Abstract:
Fedewa, Luke
Do Herps Need Ethics?
Abstract:
Does environmental ethics have a place in herpetofaunal conservation? Global conservation
of reptiles and amphibians, or herpetofauna, is one of the many environmental problems
that needs to be addressed by burgeoning human populations. The increasing number
of anthropogenic interactions and the underlying social and cultural perceptions threaten
amphibians and reptiles throughout the world. Environmental ethics may provide the
objective tools to determine what we ought to do regarding the myriad of moral conflicts
involved in herpetofaunal conservation. Three categories of environmental ethical
theory (ecofeminism, animal rights/welfare, and biocentrism) were applied to three
herpetofaunal conservation problems (habitat destruction, unsustainable use, and environmental
pollution) to elucidate the efficacy of applying environmental ethics toward herpetofaunal
conservation.
Fennel, John
Environmental Ethics Without Metaphysics - 2000
Abstract:
Those concerned with environmental ethics often bemoan the influence of enlightenment
metaphysics on ethical thought. Based upon enlightenment physics, enlightenment metaphysics
tell us that the individual is the primary unit of concern, and all moral worth is
derived from the individual. Such a picture encourages us to think of the environment
as a resource for satisfying human needs, not something worthy of respect on its own
terms. To overcome the influence of enlightenment metaphysics, environmentalists like
J. Baird Callicot suggest that the science of ecology should replace physics as the
source of our metaphysics. Ecology tells us that the individual is not the most important
element of the world; instead, the ecological whole is the unit of importance. Thus
an action is right if it preserves the integrity of the environment, wrong if it doesn't.
In this paper I argue that looking outside of our ethical world-view for support of
our ethical concepts in metaphysics is not only unnecessary but also could lead us
to make unethical decisions on our own terms. We have concepts in our language to
which we can appeal to determining if our actions fit in with what is required of
us to lead a human life, and these concepts don't require any metaphysical foundations.
Furthermore, subjugating what is to lead a human life to the metaphysics of either
physics or ecology has or would encourage us to ignore aspects of human life we already
value for abstract notions. I don't know if leading a fully human life will be incompatible
with preventing irreparable environmental destruction. I doubt that much of modern
life that has proved to be so noxious for the environment has much to do with leading
a fully human life. However, rectifying this situation is not a task for philosophy
- philosophy's task is to help us get clear on what our values actually are. Whether
or not our values ultimately conflict with the environment is another matter. We cannot
think outside of our moral values - they are the values in which moral thought takes
place. And our task as people trying to live human lives is to live in terms of the
values we already have.
Frasz, Geoffrey
Intrinsic Value and Environmental Ethics - 1986
Abstract:
In this paper I focus on the idea first suggested by Richard Routley (Sylvan) that
a genuine environmental ethics will feature as its core an axiology that vests intrinsic
value in nature, since the dominant western ethics make use of axiologies that invest
intrinsic value only in people. I first discuss the meaning of intrinsic value, how
it relates to philosophic use. I then examine how the concept plays a part in the
writings of contemporary thinkers in the field of environmental ethics. Finally I
test a hypothesis that there is a non-contingent connection between the range of moral
consideration and concepts of intrinsic value. I do this by examining various arguments
for expanding the range of moral consideration. My provisional conclusion is that
moral consideration can be extended to non-human entities, both biotic and abiotic,
because such entities have certain interests whose realization is of intrinsic value.
Garrison, Dawn
Project Opportunity: Combining Education and Employment - 1994
Abstract:
In 1993, Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), National Trials Fund Act (NRTFA), Georgia
Cooperative Extension Service (Georgia 4-H), Georgia Department of Natural Resource
(DNR), Georgia Wildlife Resources Division (WRD), and United States Forest Service
(USFS) combined to provide jobs for youth and a tutorial program for maintaining reading
and mathematical academic levels. Project Opportunity (PO) was designed for 14 and
21 year old youth. PO had a positive impact on participants in terms of knowledge,
attitude and skill development and 105 km of trails were maintained and augmented.
Although PO was designed as a pilot program for youth in the North Georgia area, it
can easily be modified to address the specific needs of groups in other areas on the
United States.
Greene, Robert
A Critique of Cost-Benefit Analysis - 1997
Abstract:
In this paper I critique cost-benefit analysis (CBA) by arguing that the continued
use of CBA as the primary basis of decision-making and policy development is destructive
to the self-interest of human beings. For example, I argue that CBA should not be
used to decide whether to dam a river or log and old-growth forest, nor should it
be used to determine how fast non-renewable resources should be consumed or determine
whether to promulgate new environmental regulations. Granted, there is a fine line
separating environmental from business situations, and it can even be said that the
line does not exist. But, because of the strong anthropocentric nature of economics,
the claim that every and all situations are environmental is too extreme and might
scare or alienate the very people for whom this critique is intended. CBA is widely
used in decision-making and policy development. The widespread use of CBA is evident
in past as well as proposed legislation. My purpose here is to point out the inevitable
consequences of using CBA as the primary basis of decision making policy development.
I begin the critique with a description of the market system and the discipline of
economics. Next, I discuss some of the conceptual defects inherent in this foundation
that make CBA destructive to the self-interests of human beings. Then, I define CBA
and point out some problems specific to CBA that add to this destructive potential.
Finally, I discuss how CBA is similar to, but distinct from utilitarianism, and conclude
that CBA is ethically irrelevant. We must recognize that without a healthy and functioning
environment, there would be no market system or need for CBA. Therefore, the environment
should be given the highest priority in the decision-making process.
Grigg, Sarah H.
Anatomy of a Bear Trap - 2010
Abstract:
To write about nature, to write about purportedly rural places, wild places, in this
country, at this time, means to doom them, not because the writer intends such --
I think we all put pen to paper with only the best of intentions -- but rather because
our readers are nowadays ready pilgrims, trigger-happy buccaneers ready to embrace
the authors interpretation, to stake out their own tale in the seductive scenery that
we have procured from experience, from hearsay. I do not say this as a judge, but
as a victim of my own snare.
Guiney, Jennifer
The State of Recycling in Gwinnett County, Georgia
Abstract:
Gwinnett County, Georgia is consistently one of the fastest growing counties in the
United States. In the 1980s, as the county realized the implications of this growth
on its resources, it began to find ways to mitigate the negative effects of the booming
population. One of the ways it sought to achieve this growth was through recycling.
This paper discusses recycling in the past, present, and future. It also discusses
those areas that do not recycle and why. This paper emphasizes how other areas, especially
those with a predictable future of heavy growth, would be wise to observe how the
county's leaders and its citizens handle the impacts of increased amounts of solid
waste.
Hamazaki, Toshihide
Japanese Environmental Ethics - 1994
Abstract:
Globalization of environmental problems has not only expanded the scale of the problems,
but also has enhanced cultural awareness in environmental ethics. Although ethics
exist in every culture, it is naive to assume that ethics in different cultures follow
the same set of protocols as ethical arguments of western cultures. The ethical arguments
among different cultures may have unique sets of assumptions and cognitive systems.
Understanding of ethics and it's fundamental cognitive system is necessary in order
to open dialogue between ethics in western and other cultures. This is especially
true for understanding Japanese environmental ethics. Japanese environmental ethics
appears to be chaotic, confusing, inconsistent and principle-less. On the one hand,
Japanese love of nature is prevalent in art, garden, literature, religion, lifestyle,
city planning, society, and even in science and technology. On the other hand, Japan's
destructive force to the environment is notorious. However, those who deeply understand
Japanese culture find that there is overall consistent integrity among the apparent
chaotic and inconsistent mixture of Japanese culture. The difficulty in understanding
Japanese culture, philosophy, and environmental ethics are in most part rooted in
fundamental cognitive and philosophical differences between Japanese and Western culture.
The difference in cognitive system is so fundamental that it is often overlooked or
ignored, which results in denouncing the ethics of the other culture as imperfect
or illogical. The objective of this paper is not to defend Japanese culture, philosophy,
and environmental ethics nor to describe its uniqueness, but to show that how the
difference in cognitive systems in Japan develops into a different philosophy and
environmental ethics in comparison with that of the West.
Herbert, Stephanie
A Relational Approach to Protecting the Broad River - 1996
Abstract:
Involving the public in watershed planning is a relational approach to natural resource
protection because it moves people to consider themselves in relation to others in
their human and natural communities. Only when we realize the importance of our connections
to and interactions with others can we regard them as factors in our decision-making.
A relational approach is vital to environmental protection efforts because if residents
in a community do not appreciate the significance of a resource, it will be difficult
to establish a protection program. Empowering people with knowledge and asking for
their voice in decision-making is a way to create community commitment to natural
resource protection. Both federal and state legislation formally recognize public
involvement as an essential element in natural resource decision-making. As outreach
committee chair for the Broad River Watershed Association (BRWA), I am searching for
ways to make the public's right to participate a reality by involving communities
throughout the Watershed in protection efforts. BRWA is a nonprofit local land trust
who's mission is to preserve the Broad River as a free-flowing system and to support
land use compatible with the maintenance of water quality, scenic rural character,
and the preservation of sensitive natural areas and wildlife habitat. This paper presents
a relational strategy meant to guide the BRWA in its efforts to reach out to the public,
informing and involving them in protecting a resource we all share in "common."
Herles, Cecilia
Muddying the Waters Does Not Have to Entail Erosion: An Ecological Feminist Perspective
Examination of the Logic of Purity - 2000
Abstract:
Ecofeminists call attention to the associations that have been made between "woman"
and "nature," which can operate as a source of both subjugation and resistance, exploitation,
and inspiration. This paper expands upon feminist critiques of "purity" by phrasing
these concerns in an ecological feminist perspective. This theoretical exercise of
the problematizing the ideal of "purity" sheds light upon the intersections of human
and nonhuman oppression. Preservationist work has tended to employ the logic of "purity"
by focusing on protection of the purity of the "wild" regions of the earth from the
polluting forces of humanity. However, such approaches retain the troublesome nature/culture
dualism. The author illustrates how attempts to fragment and radically separate people
from the environment can prove to be highly dangerous. She connects the theoretical
resistance to "purity" to the important activist work that is been done to expose
environmental racism. Finally, she discusses how "muddying the waters" and resisting
the logic of "purity" can offer a promising approach to pressing problems revolving
around the intersections of human and nonhuman oppression.
Higbee, Wendy
The Grass is Always Greener for a Company Whose Environmental Ads Ring True - 1995
Abstract:
Through environmental advertising, businesses attempt to harness consumer fear of
and concern for the environment and at the same time make a profit. The strategy works
well for the company, the consumer and the environment, but only so long as the environmental
claims are true. Environmental ads that make false claims practice ecopornography,
the term coined by ecologist Frank Golley, that means not only does the advertiser
lie to the consumer, but they likewise exploit the environment by exploiting consumer
interest in the environment. Several attempts have been made to regulate the advertising
industry, each of which is discussed in turn: the fairness doctrine, the Green Reports
I & II guidelines issued by the FTC and 11 attorney generals, other FTC attempts to
regulate environmental advertising, individual state regulations and First Amendment
considerations of regulation commercial communication. None of these proposed regulations,
however, discuss regulating emotion-arousing ads, called psychoactive ads, which may
in fact have a more detrimental impact than ads that straightforwardly state their
environmental claims. Psychoactive ads use the color green and pictures of wildlife
and wilderness to imply that a company or product is environmentally conscious and
to provoke a consumer response through emotions and psychological associations. A
long-term outlook and environmental conscience, not just profit, should motivate companies
when they make environmental claims. Environmental ads can only influence consumers
who trust the company making the claims, otherwise the communication link will fail:
fail to inform and educate the public, fail to create a green lifestyle and fail to
make money.
Johnston, Lucas F.
From Biophilia to Cosmophilia: Critique and Proposal
Abstract:
"Biophilia" is a term coined by Edward O. Wilson in his book by the same name. The
basic premise of the book is that life exhibits a natural affinity for life. It seeks
to evoke a respect for nature and a new foundation for ethics based on the adaptive
advantages of ecosystem preservation. The theory has many supporters, as it fits in
nicely with evolutionary heory and makes a great deal of common sense. Wilson, Stephen
Kellert, and others are driving research on the biophilia hypothesis, demonstrating
cross-cultural human affinities for certain types of animals, and for certain types
of terrain, among other things. The main crux of the argument is that preservation
and appreciation of life and other lifelike processes is a self-serving endeavor.
In other words, the primary reason that humans should seek to preserve the environment
is that it provides a competitive advantage in the struggle to pass along their own
genetic material. Values, in this case, are found in nature only to the extent that
nature contributes to human survival. Richard Dawkins, in discussing the importance
of genetic determinants of behavior and cultural development calls this behavior "selfish."
As Kellert puts it, biophilia suggests a "self-interested basis for a human ethic
of care and conservation of nature, most especially the diversity of life." Moral
reasoning, in this case, is a direct result of evolutionary processes, not some metaphysical
formulation of intrinsic worth. Wilson agrees that "the constructs of moral reasoning
are the learning rules, the propensities to acquire or to resist certain emotions
and kinds of knowledge. They have evolved genetically because they confer survival
and reproduction on human beings." Ethics is merely the human name for the approach/avoidance
responses that are partly inherited, partly learned, and completely biologically based.
Kellert claims that there are nine ways of valuing the natural world: utilitarian,
naturalistic, ecologistic-scientific, aesthetic, symbolic, humanistic, moralistic,
dominionistic, and negativistic ways of valuing. For example, symbolic value in this
case would be described as facilitating imaginative and communicative thought. Naturalistic
value would describe the satisfaction derived from exposure to unspoiled wilderness.
Jones, David
Beyond Stewardship - Toward an Ecological Ethic of Compassion - 2005
Abstract:
Aldo Leopold was the first in the West to enjoin us to develop a clearly articulated
land ethic. His Land Ethic states that we ought to "preserve the integrity, stability,
and the beauty of the biotic community." To achieve this goal, we need to learn to
think "like a mountain." This thesis investigates what it might mean to "think like
a mountain" by extending Leopold's Land Ethic to a more comprehensive ecological ethic
first by rejecting the possibility that such a goal is realizable through stewardship.
Stewardship, the best environmental ethic to emerge in philosophies such as Platonism
or religions such as Christianity, is a palatable idea for many, but its hidden assumption
of human preeminence over other species in the biotic community renders it a philosophical
and practical failure. We witness this failure when the stewardship ethic gains expression
through the constant seduction of other-worldly philosophies or religions. I argue
the need to refocus our orientation to more immanent approaches to what it means to
be a human being cohabitating with other species becomes increasingly more crucial
as time passes. Through the hermeneutical lenses of phenomenology, deep ecology, chaos
theory, and the science of complexity, this thesis suggests a dialogue with Asian
philosophies of Daoism and particularly Buddhism situated within the early development
of the western philosophical/scientific tradition is crucial and necessary in creating
a viable ecological ethic that sustains "the integrity, stability, and the beauty
of the biotic community."
Keller, David
Whitehead and Ecophilosophy - 1994
Abstract:
The Western worldview (epitomized by Christianity) sets humankind apart from nature
and gives humans priority; only members of the species Homo sapiens have intrinsic
value. In this way the Occidental tradition is anthropocentric. The repudiation of
anthropocentrism is the defining feature of the environmental movement. This change
in thinking amounts to a movement away from anthropocentrism to biocentrism - the
view that all biota have intrinsic value by virtue of being integral parts of the
lifeworld. Although there is a great deal of appeal to biocentrism, problems arise
when it is pushed to its logical conclusion. While anthropocentrism is too extreme
in giving intrinsic value only to human beings, and none to the natural world, biocentrism
is too extreme in denying any significant valuational gradations between individual
biota. To avoid the pitfalls of both anthropocentrism and biocentrism, we need a notion
of selfhood which acknowledges value in all of nature, yet at the same time acknowledges
differences between life forms - e.g. between nonhumans and humans, between plants
and animals. Alfred North Whitehead provides a solution to this conundrum. Whitehead
avoids the pitfalls of biocentrism by not giving biota equal intrinsic value. As such,
Whitehead's metaphysics is naturalistic. It is my contention that Whiteheadian metaphysics
can provide a basis for normatively. This is due to the fact that while humans and
other biota are ontologically similar in fundamental respects (contra anthropocentrism),
there are also real ontological differences (contra biocentrism). These ontological
differences are also axiological differences which can be used as a basis for an environmental
ethic. For these reasons, Whitehead is a prodigious resource for ecophilosophy. To
understand the value of Whitehead for ecophilosophy, this paper will first delineate
Whitehead's ontology of the self. Second, it will turn to his axiology, and third,
his ethics. Fourth, it will sketch a Whiteheadian environmental ethic. Fifth and finally
it will consider the metaphysical implications of a Whiteheadian environmental ethic
vis-a-vis two other prominent attempts; specifically, that of Holmes Rolston and deep
ecology.
McDevitt, John
NAFTA and the Environment - 1993
Abstract:
In December of 1992, the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States signed the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The agreement was immediately hailed
as the most environmentally sensitive trade pact that has ever been negotiated anywhere
in the world, a claim that was quickly criticized by assertions that it was the only
trade pact that even mentioned the environment. Some environmentalists also claimed
that it would actually have disastrous effects on the environment. To understand these
conflicting views one must look at the environmental conditions that preceded the
signing of this pact and the possible controls on environmental damage. Many claim
that the clearest indicators of the impact NAFTA will have are the conditions in the
U.S. - Mexican border area. They believe that what has happened along the border will
happen throughout Mexico if NAFTA is ratified. This paper examines this belief by
looking at the environmental situation in the border region, including the pollution,
the effects of pollution, and the plan to clean it up. After such an examination,
one can look clearly at NAFTA and have some idea of the effect that it will have on
the environment. Then one can more clearly understand the possible effects and arguments
surrounding the pact itself. This paper concludes that while NAFTA is not perfect,
it does mark a step in the right direction, but may not be sufficient as long as there
are well devised side agreements that accompany its enactment. However, there is great
promise that this pact will usher in a new environmentally conscious era in international
trade.
McDuffie, David
Process Theism, Environmental Ethics, and a Christian Theology of Ecology - 2006
Abstract:
The purpose of this essay is to present a version of Christian theology that can effectively
contribute to a sound environmental ethic. In order to do this, I examine the metaphysical
framework of process theology/philosophy and the potential within this framework for
promoting an ecologically credible ethic. I argue that Christian theology and ecology
will necessarily remain distinct disciplines but are inseparably related in that truth
claims in each discipline must be validated by the critical criteria of reason and
experience. Furthermore, I contend that theologians must be open to the possible influence
of all modes of human knowledge if contemporary theological inquiry is to remain applicable
to our contemporary existence. My goal for this project is to perpetuate a theological
conception in which humanity and the natural environment, religion and science are
seen as coexisting within a singular ecological worldview.
McGowan, Maureen
Guiding Attorneys General: The Role of Lawyers in Helping Citizens Protect Endangered
Species - 2005
Abstract:
There are many reasons to preserve species including the fundamental belief that life
is sacred, the drugs derived from plants and animals, genetic diversity essential
for protecting and improving the food supply, and ecosystem stability which is vital
for sustaining natural resources and energy flows that contribute to life on the planet.
Even though endangered species are clearly better off with the Endangered Species
Act (ESA) than without it, overall the Act may have only had a trivial impact on slowing
the rate of global extinctions. With this sobering fact in mind the success of citizen
suit provisions in providing private attorneys general with a means to preserve species
in their environment is questionable. While citizen suits are still useful in different
settings, especially those brought against the federal government under the ESA, political
and pragmatic limits indicate they are not the sole tool to be used to protect endangered
species. The opportunities for reaching consensual agreements and finding a middle
ground between the interested parties are often lost by the time a case is brought
to trial. Attorneys are not solely litigators, they can also act as negotiators, mediators,
and facilitators between stakeholder groups to reach a consensus that benefits the
parties involved. As an advocate hoping to guide concerned citizens in protecting
species at risk it is essential to remember that litigation is never the first step
to preserving species. When a suit is brought it should be brought in conjunction
with matching legislation, media attention, cooperation among interested stakeholders,
and increasing public awareness. Giving people a carrot to encourage the preservation
of biodiversity and protect endangered species will have great success, and cause
less political and public backlash, than constantly hitting people with a stick in
court.
Merrill, Margaret
1986
Abstract:
Musselman, Joan S.
Ethical Considerations for Palm Oil Production in Malaysia
Abstract:
The production of palm oil in Malaysia is too costly to justify its continuation.
The product of the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis), palm oil, is widely grown in
Malaysia for use as oil for cooking and as an additive in processed foods, especially
in many non-food products such as biofuels. These palms typically are grown in large
plantations, primarily on coverted peatlands and forests of dipterocarps and mangroves.
On the positive side, palm oil plantations provide coveted jobs in otherwise impoverished
areas and a large source of income for the Malaysian government. On the negative side,
palm oil plantations cause deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and adverse effects
on indigenous populations. I argue from an ecocentrist perspective that sustainable
palm oil production in Malaysia is a myth. I advocate not only for an immediate cessation
of large-scale palm oil production but also restoration of peatlands and rainforest
areas. The loss of jobs and income in the short term are offset by value gained from
increased biodiversity and sustainability.
Neill, Warren
Naturalistic Accounts of Value in Environmental Ethics - 1995
Abstract:
Past discussions in environmental ethics have brought to the forefront questions about
the ultimate foundations of ethical judgements. The idea that traditional ethical
frameworks are, at a very fundamental level, sorely inadequate for determining our
moral obligations with regard to treatment of the natural environment is quickly becoming
the dominant orthodoxy in this field. Much of the criticism of traditional ethical
thinking has been supported by naturalistic accounts of value, through which it is
purportedly shown that facts about the natural world reveal the inability of traditional
ethical frameworks to take into account all that is of value in the world. J. Baird
Callicott and Holmes Rolston III are two writers who have adopted positions along
these lines, although the details of their approaches are very different. In this
paper, I will argue for a type of naturalistic ethical framework, where substantive
moral norms are largely determined by facts about the empirical world. I believe that
such a framework is a necessary concomitant of a scientific world-view. I also believe
that spelling out the implications of such a framework forces us to radically re-assess
certain moral presuppositions regarding our relations with the natural environment
that too often continue to go unquestioned. However, the main thing that I wish to
show here is that the naturalistic ethical framework which I am advocating in no way
forces us to accept some of the more radical ideas which people such as Callicott
and Rolston associate with a true environmental ethic. On the contrary, I shall argue,
there are elements in Callicot's and Rolston's accounts that render them highly implausible.
Thus, they are inadequate foundations upon which to base a solid framework for dealing
with questions regarding our treatment of nature.
Ngwa, Fred
An Assessment of Conflicting Value Systems Surrounding African Wildlife - 1994
Abstract:
African wildlife conservation strategies seem not to be working. From and ethical
perspective, can better appreciation of African wildlife values generate a feasible
approach to cope with this environmental threat? The thrust of this paper is to examine
how the various groups interested in African fauna value wildlife and to explore ways
and means by which these different perspectives, which are often in conflict, can
be resolved and converted into a policy to protect wildlife' especially on a continent
characterized by population explosion, famine, poverty, with the entire development
process in disarray. Is it possible to find a common focus of broad conservation practices
satisfactory to all parties interested in Africa? This paper explores these an other
questions regarding the conservation of African Wildlife.
Oetter, Douglas
Rivers in the City: The Ethics of Existence - 1988
Abstract:
A river is a flowing body of water. A city is an intensified human ecosystem. When
a river flows into a city, a unique natural environment is created, one that exposes
the richness and wonder of two very different habitats. The place that is created
is the urban riparian zone, a critical buffer space between two tremendous flows:
water and humanity. The purpose of this paper is to enjoin scientific an philosophical
approaches to the urban riparian environment. Typically, scientists and engineers
reduce flowing water to its rawest physical nature; the artists and dreamers prefer
to experience the falling water and drifting current rather than measure it. When
a river can be viewed in the same way by scientists and philosophers alike, then the
river can be appreciated for what it is, instead of what it is made out to be. This
paper is an expanded essay of opinion. It will guide the reader through a survey of
the book of knowledge on urban rivers and into the author's thoughts on environmental
ethics. It begins by evaluating the ecology of a river system as it flows through
the urban environment. This evaluation leads to a discussion of modern approaches
to land planning, as the functional technology of land science. From there, the paper
bridges the gap into philosophy and religion, as necessary contrast to the scientific
method. It then unites the two approaches by concentrating on the unions between religion
and science due to the nature of human thought. It is seen that many of today's conflicts
can be resolved when adherence to one particular point of view is abandoned in favor
of a unified viewpoint based on the rudiments of existence theory. In this manner,
many dire social issues, such as development along waterways, can be reduced to problems
in human vision, which can then be solved with education and enlightenment.
Ormes, Libby
The Right to Environmental Education - 2004
Abstract:
Much legislation, both federal and state, is being designed to protect the environment.
Examples include the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Air
Act, all of which are federal statutes that are implemented through state agencies
and state legislation. These and associated federal and state environmental laws give
the public a right to information and to participate in agency decisionmaking. No
federal and few state laws, however, provide a public right to environmental education.
In this paper, I will explore the history of environmental education, addressing some
of the criticisms and recommendations for improvement. I will also look into international
human rights law and federal and state environmental legislation to discern what rights
these laws provide to the public concerning information and participation. In conclusion,
I address the need for legislation that provides the public a right to environmental
education, and the steps that have been taken to make this happen.
Pate, Matthew
Environmental Design Through Symbolic Archetypes: Origins and Applications - 1993
Abstract:
Every creature in the universe is surrounded by a set of circumstances known as an
environment. Environments provide the context for the actions of life. Environments
are never static and always subject to the forces of order and chaos. Environments
are always relative and subject to redefinition. An environment can be as close as
immediate personal space or as vast as the universe. It can be a house, a neighborhood,
a family, a culture or any other context into which individuals may be placed. Yet,
as crucial to existence as one's environment may be, there is a series of broad miscalculations
in the logic humans have begun to adopt in the assessment and design of the environs
of earth. This paper looks to archetypes to help rectify this problem. It concludes
that the products of environmental designers will continue to suffer until such a
time that practitioners engage in the type of research needed to produce symbolically
informed designs. The task at hand requires that environmental designers search for
glimpses of humanity's most basic nature and interpret that onto design. Archetypal
symbols may provide one such glimpse. Archetypes are not a whole answer to any design
problem but it is inescapable that these deeply embedded vestiges of our former selves
flow like a river through every culture and every age. It would be a grave oversight
on the part of designers to sidestep this pervasive resource.
Payne, Phillip
Problems With the Power of Ecological Feminism - 1992
Abstract:
Karen Warren's formulation of a distinctive ecological feminism is illuminating and
troubling at the same time. Warren argues that the domination of women and domination
of nature are conceptually connected - historically, symbolically, and theoretically.
Warren cites a impressive array of sources from the literature to support her claim.
She presents a logical proof that establishes patriarchy as the systematic source
of domination of women and nature. Warren includes a rockclimber's personal account
of an experience of nature. The inclusion of first-person narrative is an unusual
move in ethical discourse. According to Warren, however, first-person narrative improves
ethical deliberation. Two major problems exist in Warren's formulation of a distinctive
ecological feminism. First, Warren believes that the use of narrative as a reflection
of and on felt, lived experiences "provides a stance from which ethical discourse
can be held accountable to the historical, material, and social realities in which
moral subjects find themselves." I argue that Warren's formulation of ecological feminism
is unable to establish and justify accountability of the moral subject. Second, Warren's
failure to take historical, material, and social realities seriously provides reasons
for questioning her claim that first-person narrative most importantly has "argumentative
significance." My solution is to recontextualize the rockclimber's first-person narrative
in a manner that strengthens the moral subject's accountability to the historical,
material, and social realities that ground ethical situations and deliberations. My
critical inquiry into Warren's "power and promise" proceeds through a sequence of
interrelated arguments. I conclude that Warren's justification of the distinctive
form of ecological feminism as a viable environmental ethic cannot be sustained.
Rowell, Allen
1986
Abstract:
Scott, Robert H.
Grounding Obligation for the Land Ethic by Way of Phenomenology
Abstract:
While the influence of Aldo Leopold�s essay �The Land Ethic� on environmental ethics
is perhaps unrivalled, debate continues over the legitimacy of its grounding for a
holistic ecological obligation. This inquiry considers whether the ecological obligation
claimed by the land ethic should be understood as a matter of prudence, in which case
it would only establish a weak sense of obligation, or as a matter of deontology,
in which case it aims to establish a strong ethical obligation to follow its precepts.
While the land ethic principle, formulated by Leopold, invokes a strong ethical obligation,
the question of whether the argument of �The Land Ethic� provides adequate support
for a strong ethical obligation is put into question. My aim, first, is to explain
why neither �The Land Ethic� nor later defenses of it, such as that by Baird Callicott,
provide adequate grounds for establishing a strong ethical obligation. Second, I will
propose a solution for grounding a strong sense of obligation for the land ethic by
using the conceptual tools of phenomenology. A phenomenological analysis of the intentionality
of thought, I argue, discloses an indeterminate aspect involved in the intentional
understanding of all entities, from which a demand for respect asserts itself. It
is in view of the demand for respect, stemming from all entities and uncovered by
way of phenomenology, that I propose to ground a strong ethical obligation for the
precepts of the land ethic. In the final section of the paper, I will test the viability
of the phenomenologically grounded land ethic by applying it to a recent environmental
controversy in Fray Bentos, Uruguay over the construction and operation of a paper
mill on the Rio Uruguay.
Snelgrove, Chelsea
Holism and the Possibility of Environmental Ethics
Abstract:
Environmental ethics depends upon the extension of ethical consideration beyond the
human/nature division. A holistic view of the ecosphere could serve as the basis for
such an extension. This essay considers two holistic views: the land ethic of Leopold
and Callicott; and the deep ecology of Naess, and Devall and Sessions. These views
propose some ecological unit larger than the individual human as the proper locus
of moral considerability. I argue, rather, that holistic views are an inadequate basis
for ethical deliberation because they fail to provide a means for arbitrating between
the incompatible interests of individuals or smaller groups.
Straehla, Laura
Toward an Ecosophy: Historic Preservation and Deep Ecological Norms
Abstract:
I believe that, using deep ecological norms, historic preservation can be used as
a vehicle to develop a personal environmental ethic, an ecosophy. Naturally, not all
deep ecology writings support this thesis, nor do all works done in the name of historic
preservation promote an ecosophy. I believe, however, that a movement that connects
humans to their habitat � historic preservation � is one that can assist in a quest
for connection to the larger environment � an ecosophy. As the founder of the deep
ecology movement, Arne Naess believes everyone must come to an ecosophy in their own
way. This paper explores one way to increase this possibility through deep ecology�s
two intuitive norms: biocentric equality and self-realization, via the vehicle of
historic preservation. It may seem unclear how historic preservation can lead to an
ecosophy. How can an environmental ethic that has as its norms biocentric equality
and self-realization be related to bricks and mortar? How can an ethic that proscribes
increasing wilderness and living closer to nature be gained through preservation of
the human habitat? A closer study of deep ecology and historic preservation shows
the parallels that exist between the two.
Tuominen, Lindsey Kay
Cottonwoods and Chestnuts: Ecosystem Modeling as a Scientific Tool to Help Address
Public Concerns Surrounding the Field Release of Genetically Modified Trees
Abstract:
The scientific underpinnings and impacts of biotechnology are well-understood from
the perspectives of molecular biology, physiology, and population genetics; however,
the use of this technology in a field context remains socially controversial. A commonly
cited concern of individuals opposing the use of transgenic organisms is the difficulty
of predicting indirect environmental effects of field releases a priori, a concern
that is difficult to counter using traditional, reductionistic experimental approaches.
Nevertheless, scientists would do well to work towards methods of understanding likely
follow-on impacts of particular transgenic traits in order to help gain public acceptance.
I provide a proof of concept for the use of systems-based ecological modeling as a
risk assessment tool for trait-based, indirect ecological effects of transgenic organisms.
In particular, I consider three different scenarios involving the use of transgenic
trees, each embodying a different level of concern from an environmental ethics perspective.
Generating a conceptual ecosystem model for each scenario as well as simulation results
from one of these models, I give evidence for how a holistic approach can allow users
to see indirect effects and generate new hypotheses for field research. While this
method requires additional development and does not yield an all-encompassing determination
of the risk factors involved in transgenic field releases, it provides an additional
framework from which scientists can help to address public concerns regarding biotechnology.
Vancura, Joseph
The Carrot or the Stick?
Abstract:
A Look at Incentive-Based and Command-and-Control
Environmental Laws Implementing RCRA Subtitle D
This paper provides an examination of two general types of environmental laws and
possible methods of implementation, while addressing the ethical issues which invariably
arise when tackling environmental crises. The paper begins with an explanation of
the two most common types of environmental law schemes, command-and-control and incentive-based
implementation. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards promulgated under the Clean
Air Act serve to demonstrate implementation of the command-and-control type of system.
Supporting this analysis is a brief synopsis of the clean air and transportation crisis
currently existing in the metropolitan Atlanta area. The Clean Air Act then serves
to offer examples of incentive-based systems, through the threat of loss of federal
funds and changes in living standards. The discussion concludes with a brief look
at how rationality and self-interest affect individual decision-making. In order to
better understand the ethical concerns surrounding choices in environmental law schemes,
Part II delves into the history of Subchapter D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA), including the reasons for its passage and the benefits expected to arise,
taken directly from the statutory language. This is followed by a complete explanation
of the statutory compliance requirements, which address such issues as open dumps
and solid waste management plans; additionally, a distinction is drawn from Subchapter
C, which addresses waste disposal. The heart of the paper begins with a discussion
and explanation of the two types of schemes as applied in different communities in
Georgia: the pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) incentive-based plan implemented in Athens-Clarke
County (ACC) and the command-and-control mandatory recycling program used in Union
City. The PAYT system, a form of variable rate pricing, charges a fee to the consumer
based on the amount of refuse generated, calculated either as a function of the weight
of the waste or of the volume of waste. The ACC system, in place since Fall of 1995,
uses a hybrid of four methods in conjunction with a facility to process recyclable
materials and sell the end-product. The Union City program is a simple mandatory recycling
law with financial penalties for noncompliance. Both these systems are examined in
detail. In Part III, I have attempted to take this information and draw conclusions
regarding the appropriateness of each scheme for reaching stated objectives. The results
of each program are outlined, in terms of volume of waste reduction, economics, and
consumer participation. Both communities saw a significant drop in volume of waste
landfilled with a correlating increase in level of recycled materials. Similar advances
were made in terms of economic savings and community participation in the programs.
Based on these results, ethical concerns are addressed in three areas: paternalism
and the need to address the issue of self-serving actions with broad-reaching consequences;
majoritarianism and the concept of unrepresented minority viewpoints; and teleology,
or the ends justifying the means. Practical concerns are also addressed, such as the
costs of monitoring compliance, creation of perverse incentives, enforcement, community
size, public buy-in, and community values. All these factors are considered in developing
an answer to the question of implementation plans. In brief, the command-and-control
policy appears most appropriate on a national or relatively large scale, with the
incentive-based system becoming more preferable as specific factors change, such as
the size of the community, probability of buy-in, and the environmental values of
the population.
Wehlau, Doris
Historical Background and Today's Relevance of the Book "Forest Aesthetes" by Heinrich
von Salisch - 1983
Abstract:
The book "Forest Aesthetics" by Heinrich von Salisch was first published in Berlin
in 1885. A second revised enlarged edition was published in 1902, and a third in 1911.
The book covered a topic on which not much had been written before, as the author
claimed, and he sees the urgent need for a publication like this, although it can
be only a modest beginning in his eyes. Aesthetics in general was a field of philosophy
and was connected to the Fine Arts, like poetry, music, sculpture, painting, dancing,
architecture, and recently gardening. But it was not applied to the fields where utility
reigned. The economic areas and crop production were fields where only usefulness
and purposefulness were regarded as acceptable. He was not the first one to speak
up for consideration of aesthetic aspects while pursuing economic goals, but in his
book he put together much information which previously had not been accessible like
this. Also his argumentation and the relation in which he puts things towards each
other seem to be original, although he relies a lot on publication of other authors.
Heinrich von Salisch was a German nobleman living in rural Silesia on his estate,
surrounded by his lands. He started a career as a professional forester in administration,
but later quit it and wrote this book after many years of observation and thinking.
His whole worldview and attitude can only be understood in view of the historical
background and his contemporary surrounding in terms of material facts and political,
religious and philosophical ideas. So this comment tries to explain and examine the
author's ideas in view of his background and contemporary intellectual environment.
Finally I will try to evaluate his ideas for their relevance for the world of today,
with special consideration of the situation in the US.
Williams, Kevan J.
GMOs in the Landscape - 2013
Abstract:
Genetically modified crops, like corn and soybeans, have become a strong component
of the American agricultural industry. Criticism and activism related to biotechnology
has also focused heavily on GM food products. Less well known is the emerging interest
in biotechnology in the ornamental and landscape industries. Within the Landscape
Architecture profession, an important client-base and trendsetter for these industry,
there is little clear guidance regarding biotechnologys use in the environment. This
paper identifies genetically modified ornamentals as an emerging phenomenon, supporting
this with case studies of several ornamental biotechnology projects, and the opportunities
and potential liabilities they present.
Zwerling, Eric
1987
Abstract:
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