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40 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Jamieson
What is the main problem with “management approaches” to environmental problems? |
They ignore ethical issue |
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Jamieson
· Why is our current value system inadequate for dealing with the problem of climate change? |
o Climate Change is too complex. There is no way to accurately assign economic values to the alternative possible outcome of climate change. |
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Jamieson
What is a value system? And how does a value system change? |
o Value system: Specifies permission, norms, duties, and obligations; assigns blame,praise, and responsibility; it provides an account of what is valuable and what is not. Generally a cultural construction rather than an individual one.
o “We need new values that reflect the interconnectedness of life on a dense, hightechnology planet.”
o Need to focus on Character and virtues. § Humility, Courage, Moderation, and simplicity. |
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Gardiner · What 4 storms does Gardinerdiscuss? What are the main elements ofeach storm? |
o Theglobal storm 1. Dispersion of causes/effects ofCli 2. Fragmentation of agency a. Prisoner’s dilemma 3. Institutional inadequacies a. No global system to govern emissions o IntergenerationalStorm 1. Dispersion of causes/effects ofClimate change over the whole earth a. GHG’s will have long term effects inthe future b. Effects are lagged. Wont be felt forgenerations 2. Fragmentation of agency a. Neither individually nor collectivelyrational to be concerned with climate change. It does not effect the generationat all 3. Institutional inadequaciesa. No way to govern future generations atall. o TheoreticalStorm 1. Questions: a. How should we act now given uncertainfuture? b. What does equality between generationsrequire? c. Is the fact that our actions now willnot just have future effect, but affect who exists in the future, relevant tothe ethics of climate change? d. How should we treat animals and nonhuman nature? 2. All these questions are difficult. Wewill become overwhelmed and not be able to come up with a solution. o TheMoral Storm 1. Corrupted thinking a. Distraction, Complacency, Unreasonabledoubt, selective attention, delusion, pandering, false witness, hypocrisy. |
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Gardiner Why is theintergenerational storm worse than the global storm? |
Intergenerational storm isneither individually or collectively rational. The effects of GHGs are not aconcern to individuals now but future generations will feel them and have nosay in the matter. |
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Gardiner How might selective attention lead to moral corruption? |
o By focusing our attention selectively, we can be self-deceived or manipulated by others. § If we focus on uncertainty, we may make inaction. If we focused on scientific views of the future we may take action.
o We focus on the global storm instead of focusing on the future |
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Light What is environmental pragmatism? |
o Refers to an alternative approach of environmental ethics that focus on arguments that do not rely on arguments that nature has intrinsic values. |
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Light · What moral elements have played a role in climate negotiations? |
o Consensus and the idea of procedural justice (as opposed tosubstantive justice). The justice of the WAY an agreement comes about asopposed to the justice of WHAT is agreed to
o Common but differentiated responsibilities (reflected by NAMA’s),as an appropriate way of adjusting responsibilities to a variety of factors(historical contribution, level of technological development, current andprojected future contribution)
o Reciprocity
o Economic Fairness
o Well-being of human beings and non-human beings, as well as theirfuture generations |
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Light · How were Bolivia’s objectionsovercome? What does this show about themoral value of consensus? |
o Boliviawas acknowledged but overturned. o Moral value: The recognition that while consensus is A value, andis not the only value. |
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Muir Why does Muir think it was wrong to build the Hetch Hetchy Valley Dam? |
o Had aesthetic value |
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Muir · How does Muir respond to the idea that the dam was necessary for human needs? |
o Hetch Hetchy valley has sublime natural beauty, and this is not to be sacrificed merely for small economic gains.
o Water and electricity can be gotten elsewhere |
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Pitcher and Welchman · What 3 possible purposes of environmental action do Pitcher and Welchman discuss? How do these purposes differ? |
o Reclamation § Establish equivalent use value.(To what time frame?)
o Restoration § Return it to the conditionbefore it was damaged.
o Rewilding § Allow nature to overtake theland |
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Pitcher & Welchman · Which of these purposes require there-introduction of original flora and fauna? |
Restoration |
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Pitcher & Welchman · What practical and theoreticalproblems do restoration projects face? |
o Practical: § Restock Known species § Recontour Land § Re-establish River’s original course § Traditional forms of hunting andgathering need to be reintroduced o Theoretical: § Think of it as restored, not as areplica or forgery § It would be a product of humans, notnature § Landscape was always changing, whichcondition is the original? |
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Willot · What are some of the costs and benefits of wetlands restoration? |
o Costs: § Opportunity cost: Agricultural land § Land that is left as (or restored to) a wetland, could be used for other purposes, e.g. for agriculture § Deadly diseases carried bymosquitoes that thrive in wetlands § Malaria § West Nile Virus § Zika
o Benefits: Fresh water Greater biodiversity Prevents flooding
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Does Willott opposeWetlands protection/restoration? |
o No,but she believes we need proper planning and funding to prevent mosquitoes fromgetting out of hand if we restore wetlands. |
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Matthews What does Mathews mean by “living with nature”? And how is it opposed to Artifice? |
o Living with nature: § Let nature unfold in its ownway. § Let non-human nature unfold in its own way § Let our own selves develop inTHEIR OWN way § “Living with nature is not anattitude that encompasses ONLY our “external” relations, but also our “internal” and self-relation. § This attitude affirms the idea that nature is a PROCESS, continually unfolding.
o Artifice: § Opposite of Nature § What happens when beings capable for abstract thought intentionally intervene to change the course of events ofabstractly § Artifice is a regime of abrupt,wholesale change of things, the erasure of one environment and its replacement with another environment. § Artifice typically occurs atthe instigation of agents in the grip of abstract ideas that they seek toactualize irrespective of context, (e.g. ideas like “development,” “progress,”“profit,” “gross domestic product”) |
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Matthews · What is “inhabitation”? And how is this connected to living withnature? |
o Inhabit our current environment and maintain it, but don’t destroy things to rebuild.
o Allows nature to overtake our environment
o By not radically changing these surroundings,we let them become inscribed with our history, so that we come to identify with these surroundings. |
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Matthews · How does living with nature oppose capitalism? |
o Consumerism– we embrace what we have, so we don’t want new stuff o Commodification - Value places and things for their meaningthat our own lives have invested in them. We can’t replace them o The idea that progress, efficiency, business, development, profit, automation, and property are all important justifying values. o LWN wants us to focus on having meaningful lives, with meaningful relationships, work, and connection to place. And so it opposes all these values insofar as they contravene the possibility of this meaning. |
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Matthews · How is the idea of an “inalienable landscape” important for Mathews? |
o This means people will FIGHT for the place they call home.
o This means people will oppose capitalist development insofar as it threatens to undermine the significance of their home.
o This means that people will not be bought out |
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Matthews · What kinds of change does living with nature oppose? What kinds of change does it allow? |
o Opposes radical change that does not pay attention to context
o Allows gradual change that have nature in mind |
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Matthews · What arguments for living with nature does Mathews entertain? |
o Panpsychic Argument: According to panpsychism, each aspect of the biosphere has a capacity for self-realization; a telos that itcan achieve if not interfered with… Since panpsychism is the correct view of nature, we ought to respect nature, i.e. let things exercise their capacity for self-realization. This is the idea embodied in the attitude of living with nature.
o Meaningful life: We should adopt the attitude of LWN because this is normally going to be necessary for human beings to live lives that they find meaningful.
o Evolutionary Argument: If we don’t adopt LWN we are at risk of jeopardizing the survival of the human species.
o Nature Knows Best Argument: Since nature knows best, we should follow nature, and not attempt to impose our ill-conceived abstract ideas on nature. |
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Matthews How is living with nature “countermodern”as opposed to “modern” or “post-modern”? |
o Modernity is committed to the idea of change and the idea that, in itself, the world is just stuff – matter – with no informing telos of its own. It is because the world is matter that it is OK to impose anything we like – our Abstract ideas -- on the world.
o Postmodernity challenges the meaningfulness of the Abstract ideas appealed to by modernity, but doesn’t fundamentally challenge the idea that the world is a blank slate upon which humans can inscribe what they want
o Countermodernity RE-ENCHANTS the world. The world is alive; it has spirit. Each thing in the biosphere has a capacity forself-realization that ought to be respected. |
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Krieger Are our concepts of“natural environment” and “wilderness” created or discovered? What implications does this have for Krieger? |
o Created by human beings (their values, standards, etc.) o In different cultural/historical context, different things willcount as “natural environments.” o “Wilderness” is an example of a “natural environment” within theAmerican cultural historical context. § In part this concept wasdeveloped as part of the Romantic movement in the arts. § In part this concept was aresponse of city dwellers to the perception that wildlands were decreasing innumber |
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Kreiger · What makes a natural environment “rare” according to Krieger? |
o Objects Become rare when a large amount of people change their attitude toward them.
o Someone must convince the public, there is something special about that object |
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Kreiger What is the purpose of theanalogy to art in Krieger’s argument? |
o Todemonstrate that as long as we get the same values from a forgery of a primeobject, why should it bug us if it is a fake? |
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Kreiger · What is Krieger’s proposal for environmental policy? |
o We should manipulate peoples’ preferences/values about what can provide a “natural experience” while simultaneously seeking to make “natural experiences” more accessible to people.
o We should create artificial natural environments (!!!) that provide the possibility for the experience of nature
o Create environments evocative of other historical times
o Manipulate memory through the rewriting of history so that created environments have new meaning
o Create substitutes for certain environments through advertising
o Simulate certain environments through “photographs, recordings, models, and perhaps even manipulations in the brain…” |
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Krieger · How is Krieger’s view a compromise between “conservationism” and “preservationism”? |
o He sees both of these camps as ultimately promoting certain kinds of human interests/values... o The conservationists are right that the non-human environment is useful for food/water/shelter/energy. o The preservationists are right that humans also have aesthetic sensibilities that non-human environments have typically satisfied. |
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Schmidtz · How does Schmidtz respond to the idea that the original acquisition of property can’t be justified? |
o Property rights institutions are sometimes justified. o Property rights institutions can sometimes help maintain and protect environmental goods § A’s property right to X = A’sright to use, sell, lend, bequeath, etc. X
§ A’s property right to X impliesduties for other persons, B, C, D, etc… Roughly: these other persons mustrespect my property rights.
§ A’s property right to X impliesA’s right to exclude others from X (from its use, etc.) |
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Schmidtz · What is the purpose of property? How does it “internalize externalities”? |
o Each bears the costs of his/her action. Each reaps the benefits of his/her action. o Encourage socially beneficial behavior. They help prevent harm between persons, and encourage beneficial behavior.
o They underwrite the social ideal of mutually advantageous cooperation. |
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Schmidtz · Which types of property does Schmidtzdiscuss? |
o Private:§ Individual ownership§ Each hasa right to exclude others
o Communal: § Governmental agency typicallyacts on behalf of the public § A group excludes non-members from X, and permitsmembers to use X and contribute to the maintenance of X. § The enforcement of the communalrules can either be informal (custom) or formal (governmental). |
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Schmidtz · What are some of the advantages of private property? |
o Benefits: § Each has an incentive to protect, maintain, and develop his/her share. § Monitoring relatively easy (one must monitor only “border crossings”) § In the case of externalities, those effected can re-arrange their property rights (via trades)
o Context of usefulness: § Small/medium scale events =events whose effects are NOT far flung, and so for which it is rather easy to say who is responsible
o Examples: § Labrador Peninsula indigenous peoples with the advent of the European fur trade § Jamestown Colony after GovernorDale’s privatization order |
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Schmidtz · What are some of the disadvantages of common property? |
o Benefits: § Can provide insurance against risk (“Everyone is in it together” seems to be the idea behind the initial Jamestown colony). § Useful for building publicworks § May sometimes be a better way to handle large scale events = events are far flung and so hard to monitor who is responsible for what
o Downside: § Monitoring can be harder than private property § Free Riding and spite
o Example: § Failure: Jamestown Colony BEFORE the privatization order. Starvation inthe streets. § Success: The Hutterites of the Canadian Prairie |
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Schmidtz · Why did the Jamestown colonyfail? Why have the Hutterites succeeded? |
o Jamestown: § Every person in the Jamestowncommunity had equal shares to everything. § Large population § No one wanted to work while everyoneelse freeloaded o Hutterites: § Small population § Close-knit society § Communal dining § Individuals were reprimanded when theirperformance was subpar |
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Rose · What two types of solution toenvironmental problems does Rose discuss? |
o Commandand Control o PropertyRights |
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Rose · What is the pessimistic story about property? What is the optimistic story? |
o Pessimism: in the commons, environmental resources/goods are overused and depleted (the tragedy of the commons).Property rights might solve this, but getting property rights regimes going inthe first place suffers from the same collective action problems. Everyone prefers that a property rights regime exist, but it is rational for each to let others to take the actions necessary to establish the regime. So the regime doesn’t begin.
o Optimism: While in theory the origin of property regimes faces these problems, in actual fact property regimes DO startup. Why? It is true that starting a property regime involves costs. But when resources become valuable enough, groups are often able to overcome collective action problems and to institute property regimes… especially if these groups are close-knit (linked by ties of religion, family, geography) and are able to monitor one another. |
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Rose · What are 5 problems for property regimes generally speaking? What is anexample of each problem? |
1. Potential Participants May Fail to Agree on a Property Regime - Free riding
2. Property regimes may be ineffective or inconsistent - Legal pluralism: individuals my not know how to act and cause chaos
3. An Effective Property Regime may Revolve Around Purposes Incompatible With Environmental Protection. - Property rights for mining may be good for resources but not the environment
4. Methods for Defining Property may Not Work Well For Environmental Resources - Difficult to assign air, water, and wildlife an any tangible way
5. Modern Property Regimes Tend to create Resource Monocultures, and These May Undermine Environmental Resources - wilderness is replaced with farms. loose biodiversity
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Rose · What would a “property” type solution to climate change look like? How might the 5 problems arise in this case? And which problems would be most serious? |
1. Failure to Agree a. Questions of distributional fairness: b. US rejection of Kyoto Protocol c. What year should be the baseline for required reductions?
2. Ineffective or Inconsistent a. Monitoring and Enforcementproblems b. Substitute performance is anadvantage of property regimes, but can be abused – emissions may not be offsetas promised.
3. An Effective Property Regime May Be Incompatible w. Environmental Protection a. Possible bad unintended consequences – e.g. if old growth forests DON’T count as offsets, and plantingnew trees does, there is an incentive to cut down the old growth forest, and soharm valuable environmental goods.
4. Methods for Defining Property may not work well for environmental resources a. “Proxy slippage” b. Emissions of GHG a “proxy” forclimate change. But we can’t measure methane (a more damaging GHG) as well asCO2 emissions c. Should forests count asoffsets? Perhaps yes, but not all forests are created equal. Forests in coldregions that replace snow cover may exacerbate climate change.
5. Modern Property Regimes Tend To create Monocultures a. Specialization may actuallyhelp AVOID monoculture if old growth forests come to count as GHG offsets.Countries that specialize in forests (preservation and creation) could create “hotspots”… for biodiversit |
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Watson
· What activities is Watson engaged in? |
o Violent direct action: § Sinking & cutting drift nets § Destroying net retrieval gear § Ramming/disabling whaling ships § Sinking Whaling ships |
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Watson · What arguments could be made to justify his actions? |
o None. Even if Japanese whalers (etc.) are violating internationallaw, does Watson have the legal authority to enforce this law? No. The international law Watson refers too are meant to be enforced by the states parties against their own citizens. |
