|
|
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
x
Abstract:
Bender, Sherri
x
Abstract:
Bratton, Susan
x
Abstract:
Choi, Joon Won
x
Abstract:
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
x
Abstract:
Cogswell, Gini
x
Abstract:
Cowell, C. Mark
x
Abstract:
Crescenzo, Daniel L.
Defining "Natural" in an Ecological Ethic
Abstract:
Ecological decisions are also ethical decisions, and an ethic which respects the relations within ecosystems and defines the term "natural" as the character of this holism is necessary in order to make such decisions responsibly. I assert that a decision is ethically right if it promotes the natural fitness of relations within a given ecology and is unethical if it does not. I call this maxim the principle of naturalistic preservation. I next apply these two considerations to a hypothetical proposal to introduce mountain lions (Puma concolor) into southwestern North Carolina in order to control wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations, and conclude that doing so would be ethical according to the principle of naturalistic preservation. After this, I explain why human beings should only be engaged in this type of ethical decision when their own actions have resulted or will result in a uniquely severe disruption of ecology or ecologies, and further note that we are capable of controlling our disruptive, unnatural behavior. Finally, I suggest that human beings’ ecological and evolutionary understanding of the world should be taken as an important foundation on which to build a new, more environmentally conscientious ethic in which we are, to borrow the language of Aldo Leopold, "citizens" of our environment.
Creszenzo, Daniel L.
Defining "Natural" in an Ecological Ethic
Abstract:
Ecological decisions are also ethical decisions, and an ethic which respects the relations within ecosystems and defines the term "natural" as the character of this holism is necessary in order to make such decisions responsibly. I assert that a decision is ethically right if it promotes the natural fitness of relations within a given ecology and is unethical if it does not. I call this maxim the principle of naturalistic preservation. I next apply these two considerations to a hypothetical proposal to introduce mountain lions (Puma concolor) into southwestern North Carolina in order to control wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations, and conclude that doing so would be ethical according to the principle of naturalistic preservation. After this, I explain why human beings should only be engaged in this type of ethical decision when their own actions have resulted or will result in a uniquely severe disruption of ecology or ecologies, and further note that we are capable of controlling our disruptive, unnatural behavior. Finally, I suggest that human beings’ ecological and evolutionary understanding of the world should be taken as an important foundation on which to build a new, more environmentally conscientious ethic in which we are, to borrow the language of Aldo Leopold, "citizens" of our environment.
Draney, Michael
Ethical Obligations Toward Insect Pests
Abstract:
x
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.
Frasz, Geoffrey
x
Abstract:
Garrison, Dawn
x
Abstract:
Greene, Robert
x
Abstract:
Hamazaki, Toshihide
x
Abstract:
Herbert, Stephanie
x
Abstract:
Herles, Cecilia
Muddying the Waters Does Not Have to Entail Erosion: An Ecological Feminist Perspective Examination of the Logic of Purity
Abstract:
Higbee, Wendy
x
Abstract:
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 theory 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 “selfinterested
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.
Keller, David
x
Abstract:
McDevitt, John
Abstract:
x
McDuffie, David
Process Theism, Environmental Ethics, and a Christian Theology of Ecology
Abstract:
x
McGowan, Maureen
x
Abstract:
Merrill, Margaret
x
Abstract:
Moody, Gwyneth
Assessing the Environmental Literacy Requirement at the University of Georgia
Abstract:
Neill, Warren
x
Abstract:
Oetter, Douglas
x
Abstract:
Pate, Matthew
x
Abstract:
Payne, Phillip
x
Abstract:
Rowell, Allen
x
Abstract:
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.
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-interestaffect 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 communitites 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
Abstract:
Zwerling, Eric
x
Abstract:
|
