Environmental Ethics and Sustainable Development
Notice: This section is currently
under construction.
Please bear with us as it undergoes
reorganization and expansion.
This section contains cases, essays, codes of ethics, and
links about the issues facing engineers and scientists in
relation to the environment and sustainable development. The
materials themselves vary in their emphasis, some applying
specifically to the work of scientists, while others are
slanted toward the particular concerns of engineers whose work
bears on environmental and sustainable development issues.
- Rachel Carson's Silent
Spring: A Brief History of Ecology as a Subversive
Subject
- This essay by Gary Kroll discusses Carson's environmental
philosophy and asks the question, what are the "foundations"
of Rachel Carson's environmental ethics? Kroll examines how
Carson justified her three main evaluative premises (or her
two controversial ones, concern for human health presumably
needing no justification).
- Rachel Carson's
Environmental Ethics
- This essay by Philip Cafaro discusses several respects in
which Rachel Carson's life and work might point the way
forward for environmental ethics. First, Carson's frequent
criticisms of human attempts to dominate nature suggest
important parallels with contemporary ecofeminism. Second,
Carson's philosophy of "reverence for life" seems to support
the whole spectrum of environmental activism.
- Engineering and
the Environment Case Studies
- Four discussion cases about environmental issues and
choices, including the Union Carbide Chemical Leak in Bhopal,
India.
- Love
Canal
- Extensive information about the first case concerning
hazardous waste disposal and its possible health effects that
received major national attention.
- Ray C. Anderson:
An Attempt at Sustainable Development
- The story of a "born-again environmentalist" who went
from commercial carpet manufacturer to world-renowned
advocate for sustainable industry.
- The Three Mile Island
Nuclear Accident
- One of the most serious accidents in the U.S. nuclear
history. This account of the Three Mile Island nuclear
accident includes a detailed description of the accident, a
timeline of events, and some nuclear reactor technical
information.
- Teaching Engineering
Responsibly for Societal and Environmental
Consequences
- A paper and web resources pertaining to teaching
engineering responsibly for social and environmental
consequences.
- Teaching Ethics Across the
Engineering Curriculum
- This section offers pedagogical advice for incorporating
ethical considerations into the design course.
- Bibliography
- A list of sources for environmental ethics and
sustainable development, particularly as they relate to
engineering. The bibliography includes keywords to aid
researchers.
Web Resources Maintained by Others
Codes of
Ethics
Maintained by others, will open a new browser.
- The World Federation of Engineering
Organizations (WFEO) Code of Environmental Ethics for
Engineers
- Founded in 1968, the WFEO is a
Non Governmental Organization (NGO) with 80 National members
and 9 International members. The Code of Environmental Ethics
for Engineers, proposed in 1985 and adopted by the WFEO
General Assembly in 1987, encourages engineers to be
committed to "environmentally sound and sustainable
development."
- American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Code of Ethics
- With this 1996 revision, the ASCE became the
first of the major professional engineering societies to give
sustainable development prominent standing in its code of
ethics. The code makes note of sustainable development in
both the Fundamental Canons and in the Guidelines to Practice
Under the Fundamental Canons of Ethics.
- Guidelines for the Practice of Professional
Engineering in Ontario (PDF)
- This extensive and detailed guide contains information
about environmentally sound practices in accord with
sustainable development concepts. It is maintained by the
Professional
Engineers of Ontario, last revised in 1998.
- The Institution of Professional Engineers New
Zealand (IPENZ) Code of Ethics
- Commitment to sustainable management and care of the
environment is one of five fundamental ethical values
comprising the IPENZ Code of Ethics, last revised in
1996. The code is augmented by a sets of guidelines for
satisfying the code provisions.
Case Studies
Maintained by others, will open a new browser.
- Coral Corruption: A Dilemma from Down
Under
- In this case maintained by the Institute for Global Ethics scientists studying
the effects of pollution on coral reefs are faced with a
dilemma when the corporation offering to fund their research
(and allegedly also responsible for some of the pollution)
attempts to influence their research methods and
findings.
Engineering
and Sustainable Development
Maintained by others, will open a new browser.
- The Engineer's Response to Sustainable
Development
- This report, prepared by the World Federation of
Engineering Organizations for the Rio+5 Forum in 1997, is a
comprehensive statement "that explains how engineers are
addressing their responsibilities in implementing the
sustainable development action agenda" (The Rio Principles and Agenda 21) adopted at the 1992 United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio
de Janeiro.
- Engineers Forum for Sustainable
Development
- Cosponsored by the American Society for Engineering Education
(ASEE) and the AAES, the Forum sponsors quarterly meetings and
newsletters to "promote the principles and practice of
sustainable development."
- Making Engineering Design
Sustainable
- Sharon Beder, originally trained in Civil Engineering,
now heads the Science and Technology Studies (STS) program at
the University of , Australia. Though often critical of the
way the term sustainable development is used, in this 1993
paper Beder defends the need for considering ecological
factors in engineering design. The paper includes a case
study of deepwater ocean disposal of Sydney's sewage.
- Engineering On and Off the Road: Sustainable
Development Policies and Practice
- Dr. Fiona S. Crofton considers the practical challenges
faced by engineers when trying to address sustainable
development. She believes that the traditional work style of
engineers (e.g. the tendency to compartmentalize
work, knowledge and skills into specialized units) hampers
engineers when attempting to incorporate sustainable
principles into practical design. A more sustainable
engineering profession needs better preparation of
engineering students, as well as more continuing educational
opportunities for practicing engineers.
- Engineers and the Environment
- This essay briefly summarizes the major federal
environmental laws as they relate to the engineering
profession, and argues that while these laws are extensive, a
large amount of decision making is left to business managers
and ultimately, individual engineers. Thus, engineers need a
sound environmental ethic. In some instances, what would be
considered good engineering practice (i.e. the
action follows the letter of the law and is within a
professional code of ethics) may not be what is most ethical
in respect to human health and/or the non-human environment.
The essay concludes with a discussion of the dichotomy of
personal and professional engineering ethics. (From
'Engineering Ethics' site maintained by Dr. Lee L. Lowery,
Jr., Texas A& M.)
Essays on
Environmental Ethics and Sustainable Development
Maintained by others, will open a new browser.
- Sustainable Development: A Common Challenge
for North and South.
- This piece by the Novartis
Foundation for Sustainable Development provides a
comprehensive introduction to sustainable development. It is
well annotated and provides links to technical data and
information, and thus is of specific interest to engineers
and those involved in the "hard" sciences. Also notable is
its examination of SD from the developed and developing
nation (North and South) perspectives.
- Sustainable Development: What do We Owe to Future
Generations?
- This 1992 paper by Dr. Thomas Hurka, University of
Calgary, discusses the moral conflict between the words
"sustainable" and "development." Is "Sustainable Development"
an oxymoron, or can the conflicting concepts of development
and sustainability be synthesized into one environmental
ethic? Hurka also addresses the place of competitiveness in
sustainable society, and reasons that ultimately, sustainable
development is an ethic of limits.
- Once Upon a Planet. Chapter 15 of
Natural
Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution.
- Paul Hawken, Armory Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins The next
industrial revolution, like the first, will be a reaction to
the problems of scarcity, but this time, success will depend
upon resolving the problem of a surplus of people with a
shortage of resources -- natural capital. In this chapter,
Hawken gives a unique perspective on the stakeholders in the
sustainability movement (Blues, Reds, Greens, and Whites),
and offers solutions for business and industry for attaining
a sustainable future.
Corporations with
Sustainability Programs
Maintained by others, will open a new browser.
- Novartis
- The Novartis Group, a pharmaceutical and seed
manufacturer, is the sole contributor for the Novartis
Foundation for Sustainable Development. However, the
foundation operates separately and has no commercial ties to
the corporation. The Foundation is involved in a multitude of
projects in throughout the developing world. It also features
spotlights on corporate business ethics as they apply to
developing world, and provides a notable collection of
business and corporate ethics
resources.
- Patagonia
- A manufacturer and retailer of popular outdoor clothing,
Patagonia donates a considerable amount of profits to
environmental and social causes. It also provides numerous
grants to individuals and organizations for sustainable
projects. The corporation has also "greened" its
manufacturing processes, and has an internal R& D team
that seeks ways to lessen the firm's negative impact on the
environment.
- Sun Microsystems
- The company that "put the dot in .com" has a
comprehensive program that addresses the "triple bottom line"
of sustainablity -- economic, environmental, and social.
Notable are its programs on clean air commuting, workplace health and safety, and their
active participation in public policy.
- Unilever
- Considers itself a "multi-local multinational"
corporation. The firm has established environmental and
social sustainability programs in several counties. Their
website features articles and case studies that feature the
corporation's efforts around the world.
- 3M
- 3M has long been an innovator in in-house recycling and
source point pollution reduction. It also encourages
recycling programs outside of the corporation, and supports
environmental education programs for all ages. Of special
note is its 3P (Pollution Prevention Pays)
program.
Sustainable Development Collections
Maintained by others, will open a new browser.
- What is Sustainability?
- Florida Sustainable Communities Center This is a
collection of quotations and brief text excerpts about
sustainability and sustainable development, dating from the
mid-1980s to present. It quotes a number of experts from
diverse fields, and is helpful in defining this often
ambiguous and misunderstood concept.
- International Institute for Sustainable
Development
- This non-profit policy research organization maintains an
exhaustive collection of SD documents, resources, links, and
case studies.
- Worldwatch Institute
- The publisher of Worldwatch Magazine. The site includes articles,
links, and "Topic Mini-Sites" which explore sustainability
issues in depth.
- The Earth Charter Initiative
- First drafted in 1997 and last revised in 2000 "the
Earth Charter (PDF) is a declaration of
interdependence and responsibility and an urgent call to
build a global partnership for sustainable development." The
Charter includes four principles: respect and care for the
community of life; ecological integrity; social and economic
justice; and democracy, nonviolence and peace.
Webpages of Organizations Interested in
Environmental Protection
- Conservation Science Institute
- Link to the Ethics Initiative of the Conservation Science
Institue, an active think tank and research organization
founded in 1994 to resolve emerging ecological and
environmental dilemmas.
- SustainUS
- United States Youth for Sustainable Development, a group
of young people striving to advance sustainable development
and youth empowerment