Konferensartikel

Irreversible Social Change

A.J.K. Pols
Section of Philosophy & Ethics, School of Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

H.A. Romijn
Section of Technology, Innovation & Society, School of Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Ladda ner artikel

Ingår i: Proceedings from the 50th Societas Ethica Annual Conference 2013. Climate Change; Sustainability; and an Ethics of an Open Future. August 22-25; 2013; Soesterberg; The Netherlands

Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 98:7, s. 65-85

Visa mer +

Publicerad: 2014-08-21

ISBN: 978-91-7519-289-5

ISSN: 1650-3686 (tryckt), 1650-3740 (online)

Abstract

In this paper we evaluate how irreversible social change should be evaluated from an ethical perspective. First; we analyse the notion of irreversibility in general terms. We define a general notion of what makes a change irreversible; drawing on discussions in ecology and economics. This notion is relational in the sense; that it claims that a change can only be irreversible for a certain party. Second; we examine ways to evaluate irreversible changes; drawing on discussions from both ethics; particularly the Capability Approach; and economics; particularly Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Safe Minimum Standard. Insights from the field of development studies are also woven into the discussion. Third; we investigate why (adverse) social changes tend to be systematically undervalued in decision making by private actors and policy makers; and argue for applying the Safe Minimum Standard as a decision rule for dealing with irreversible social changes. Finally; we show how our framework can be applied by evaluating the land acquisition process of biofuel producers in Tanzania.

Nyckelord

Irreversibility; socio-economic systems; Safe Minimum Standard; Habermas; biofuels

Referenser

Adger; W.N.; Dessai; S.; Goulden; M.; Hulme; M.; Lorenzoni; I.; Nelson; D.R.; Naess; L.O.; Wolf; J. and Wreford; A. (2009). Are there social limits to adaptation to climate change? Climatic change 93: 335-354.

Aggarwal; R.M. (2006). Globalization; local ecosystems; and the rural poor. World Development; 34 (8): 1405–1418.

Arrow; K.J.; and Fisher; A.C. ( 1974). Environmental preservation; uncertainty; and irreversibility. Quarterly Journal of Economics; 88 (May): 312-319.

Barbier; E.B. (2012). Natural capital; ecological scarcity and rural poverty. Policy Research Working Paper 6232; Development Research Group. Washington; D.C.: The World Bank.

Barbier; E.B. (2005). Natural Resources and Economic Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bergius; M. (2012). Large scale agro investments for biofuel production in Tanzania - Impact on rural households. Thesis; Institute of Development Studies; University of Agder; Norway.

Berkes; F.; Colding; J.; and Folke; C. (2001). Linking Social-Ecological Systems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bishop; R.C. (1978). Endangered Species and Uncertainty: The Economics of a Safe Minimum Standard. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 60(1); 10-18.

Bohman; J. and Rehg; W. (2011). Jürgen Habermas. In: E. Zalta (ed.) The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy; Winter 2011 edition. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2011/entries/habermas/. Accessed 14 Nov 2013.

Bond; R. and Hulme; D. (1999). Process approaches to development: Theory and Sri Lankan practice. World Development; 27(8): 1339-1358.

Boons; F. and Mendoza; A. (2010). Constructing sustainable palm oil: how actors define sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production 18: 1686-1695.

Borras Jr; S. M. & Franco; J. (2010). Towards a broader view of the politics of global land grab: Rethinking land issues; reframing resistance. The Hague/Amsterdam: ICAS/LDPI/TNI.

von Braun; J.; Gerber; J.; Mirzabaev; A.; Nkonya; E. (2013). The economics of land degradation. Working Paper 109; Center for Development Research (ZEF); University of Bonn.

van Buren III; H.J. (2001). If fairness is the problem; is consent the solution? Integrating ISCT and stakeholder theory. Business Ethics Quarterly 11(3): 481-499.

Carrington; D. (2011). UK firm’s failed biofuel dream wrecks lives of Tanzania villagers. The Observer; Sunday 30.

Chachage; C. & Baha; B. (2011). Accumulation by land devaluation and labour devaluation in Tanzania. Dar es Salaam: HAKI ARDHI.

Ciriacy-Wantrup; S.V. (1968). Resource Conservation: Economics and Policies. 3rd edition. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.

Claude; H. (1974). Option-values in the economics of irreplaceable assets. Review of Economic Studies: Symposium on The Economics of Exhaustible Resources: 89-104.

Conant; J. (2012). The dark side of the “green economy”; Why some indigenous groups and environmentalists are saying no to the “green economy”. Yes Magazine; Fall issue.

Costanza; R.; d’Arge; R.; de Groot; R; Farber; S.; Grasso; M.; Hannon; B. (1998). The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Ecological Economics; 25(1): 3-15.

Cotula; L.; Dyer; N. & Vermeulen; S. (2008). Fuelling exclusion? The biofuels boom and poor people’s access to land. London: IIED.

EC (2009). Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC Renewable Energy Directive; O.J. L 140: 16–62.

van Eijck; J.A.J.; Romijn; H.A.; Smeets; E.; Bailis; R.; Rooijakkers; M.J.A.M.; Hooijkaas; N.; Verweij;P. and Faaij; A.P.C. (in press). Comparative analysis of key socio-economic and environmental impacts of smallholder and plantation based jatropha biofuel production systems in Tanzania. Biomass and Bioenergy.

van Eijck; J.A.J.; Rom Colthoff; J.; Romijn; H.A.; Heijnen; S.; de Ruijer; F. and Jongschaap; R. (2013). Jatropha sustainability assessment; data from Tanzania; Mali & Mozambique. Utrecht: NL Agency; Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Fisher; A.C. and Krutilla; J.V. (1974). Valuing long run ecological consequences and irreversibilities. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management; 1: 96-108.

Greenwood; M. (2007). Stakeholder Engagement: Beyond the Myth of Corporate Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics;74: 315-327.

Habermas; J. (1987). The Theory of Communicative Action; Volume II. Lifeworld and System: a Critique of Functionalist Reason. Boston: Beacon Press. Trans. from German by McCarthy; T. (1985). Theorie des kommunikativen Handelns; Band 2: Zur Kritik der funktionalistischen Vernunft; 3rd corrected edition. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag.

Habermas; J. (1996). Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy. Cambridge: MIT Press. Trans. from German by Rehg; W. (1992). Faktizität und Geltung. Beiträge zur Diskurstheorie des Rechtes und des demokratischen Rechtsstaats. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.

Hall; A;. Sulaiman; R.; Ojha; H. (Eds) (2012). Adaptive Collaborative Approaches in Natural Resource Governance: Rethinking Participation; Learning and Innovation. London: Routledge.

Hansson; S.O. (2003). Ethical criteria of risk acceptance. Erkenntnis 59; 291-309.

Hickey; A. and du Toit; A. (2007). Adverse incorporation; social exclusion and chronic poverty. CPRC WP 81; School of Environment and Development; University of Manchester; Manchester.

Hodbod; J. and Tomei; J. (2013). Demystifying the social impacts of biofuels at local levels: Where is the evidence? Geography Compass. 7 (7): 478–488.

van der Horst; D.; Vermeylen; S. (2011). Spatial scale and social impacts of biofuel production. Biomass and Bioenergy. 35: 2435-2443.

Humphrey; M. (2001). Three Conceptions of Irreversibility and Environmental Ethics: Some Problems. Environmental Politics 10(1): 138-154.

Illies; C.F.R. and Meijers; A.W.M. (2009). Artefacts without agency. The Monist 92(3): 420-440.

Jonas; H. (1979/1984). Das Prinzip Verantwortung; Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp / The imperative of responsibility. in search of an ethics for the technological age; Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Kitabu; G. (2012). So much to lose than gain in foreign land investments; IPP Media; 24 January.

Lall; S. (1992). Technological capabilities and industrialization. World Development; 20 (2): 165-186.

Manyena; S. B. (2006). The concept of resilience revisited. Disasters; 30(4): 433-450.

Marten; G.G. (2001). Human Ecology. Basic Concepts for Sustainable Development. London: Earthscan.

Matondi; P. B.; Havnevik; K. & Beyene; A. (Eds) (2011). Land Grabbing and Food Security in Africa. Uppsala/ London/ New York: Zed Books.

McShane; K. (2007). Why Environmental Ethics Shouldn’t Give Up on Intrinsic Value. Environmental Ethics; 29(1): 43-61.

McShane; K. (2012). Environmental ethics: An overview. Philosophy Compass 4(3): 407-420.

Merkerk; R.O. and van Lente; H. (2005). Tracing emerging irreversibilities in emerging technologies: The case of nanotubes. Technological Forecasting & Social Change; 72: 1094–1111.

Mol; A.P.J. (2007). Boundless Biofuels? Between Environmental Sustainability and Vulnerability. Sociologia Ruralis 47(4); 297-315.

Msyua; T.S.; Kidesgesho; J.R.; and Mosha; T.C.E. (2010) Availability; preference; and consumption of indigenous forest foods in the Eastern Arc mountains; Tanzania; Ecology of Food and Nutrition; 49: 208–227.

Mutch; T. (2010) Jatropha biofuels: The true cost to Tanzania. The Ecologist; 15 February.

Norton; B.G. (2005). Sustainability: A Philosophy of Adaptive Ecosystem Management. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

NOU (2012). Cost-Benefit Analysis. Review from a committee appointed by Royal Decree chaired by P.K. Hagen; submitted to the Norwegian Ministry of Finance. Official Norwegian Reports NOU 2012:16; Olso.

Nussbaum; M. (2006). Frontiers of Justice: Disability; Nationality; Species Membership. Cambridge; MA: Harvard University Press.

Persson; I. and Savulescu; J. (2008). The perils of cognitive enhancement and the urgent imperative to enhance the moral character of humanity. Journal of Applied Philosophy; 25(3): 162-177.

Peterson; M.B. and Spahn; A. (2011). Can Technological Artefacts be Moral Agents? Science and Engineering Ethics;17(3): 411-424.

Pols; A.J.K. and Houkes; W.N. (2011). What is morally salient about enhancement technologies? Journal of Medical Ethics; 37(2): 84-87.

Rawls; J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge; MA: Harvard University Press.

Robeyns; I. (2011). The Capability Approach. In: E. Zalta (ed.) The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2011 Edition).
http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2011/entries/capability-approach/. Accessed 14 November 2013.

Romijn; H.A. and Caniels; M.C.J. (2011). The jatropha biofuels sector in Tanzania 2005-9: Evolution towards sustainability? Research Policy; 40: 618-636.

Romijn; H.A. Heijnen; S.; and Arora; S. (2013). Standardizing sustainability: Certifying Tanzanian biofuel smallholders in a global supply chain. In: A. Lindgreen; S. Sen; F. Maon and J. Vanhamme (Eds) Sustainable Value Chain Management: Analyzing; Designing; Implementing; and Monitoring for Social and Environmental Responsibility. Farnham: Gower: 473-487.

Scheffer; M.; Carpenter; S.; Foley; J.A.; Folke; C. and Walker; B. (2001). Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems. Nature 413; 591-596.

Sen; A. (1992). Inequality Re-examined; Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Silva-Castañeda; L. (2012). A forest of evidence: third-party certification and multiple forms of proof—a case study of oil palm plantations in Indonesia. Agriculture and Human Values 29; 361-370.

Van der Sluijs; J.P. and Turkenburg; W. (2006). Climate change and the Precautionary Principle. In: Fisher; E.; Jones; J. and Von Schomberg; R.; Implementing the Precautionary Principle; Perspectives and Prospects; 245-269.

Smith; B. (2007). Annotated Bibliography on Social Exclusion; Adverse Incorporation and Chronic Poverty. CPRC WP 86; School of Environment and Development; University of Manchester; Manchester.

Spash; C.L. (1997). Ethics and Environmental Attitudes With Implications for Economic Valuation . Journal of Environmental Management 50; 403-416.

Stewart; F. (1077). Technology and Underdevelopment. London: Macmillan.

Stilgoe; J.; Owen; R. and Macnaghten; P. (2013). Developing a framework for responsible innovation. Research Policy 42(9); 1568-1580.

Sulle; E. and Nelson; F. (2009). Biofuels; land access and rural livelihoods in Tanzania. London: IIED.

UN (1992). Report of the United Nations Conference on Evironment and Development; Rio de Janeiro; 3-14 June 1992.

UNDP (2009). Capacity Development: A UNDP Primer. New York: United Nations.

Valentino; S. (2011) Tanzania biofuel project’s barren promise. IPS News; 9 March.

Verbruggen; A. (2013). Revocability and reversibility in societal decision-making. Ecological Economics; 85: 20-27.

Walker; B.H.; Gunderson; L.H.; Kinzig; A.P.; Folke; C.; Carpenter; S. R.; Schultz; L.(2006). A handful of heuristics and some propositions for understanding resilience in social-ecological systems. Ecology and Society 11(1): 13.

Widengård; M. (2011). Biofuel governance: a matter of discursive and actor intermesh. In: P. B. Matondi; K. Havnevik & A. Beyene (Eds). Biofuels; Land Grabbing and Food Security in Africa. Uppsala/London/New York: ZED Books; pp. 44-59.

World Bank (2008). Putting Tanzania`s Hidden Economy to Work: Reform; Management and Protection of its Natural Resource Sector. Washington D.C.

Young; I.M. (2004). Responsibility and Global Labor Justice. The Journal of Political Philosophy 12(4); 365-388.

Young; I.M. (2006). Responsibility and global justice: a social connection model. Social Philosophy and Policy 23(1); 102-130.

Citeringar i Crossref