1st Edition

Reconciling Human Existence with Ecological Integrity Science, Ethics, Economics and Law

Edited By Laura Westra, Klaus Bosselmann, Richard Westra Copyright 2008
    384 Pages
    by Routledge

    384 Pages
    by Routledge

    'The ecological challenge demands a paradigm shift in our thinking about the human-environment relation. Reconciling Human Existence with Ecological Integrity provides a ‘state of the art account of work on ecological integrity - and offers a compelling vision for the future. Derek Bell, Senior Lecturer at the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, University of Newcastle A book of vast scope and richness ... If policymakers around the world took notice of this insightful set of messages, we would all live with greater happiness, health, and wellbeing, with a brighter future for our children and grandchildren. Lawrence O. Gostin, O‘Neill Professor of Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center This book attempts to do in theory what the world needs to do in practice. It is an ecological master plan that shows how we can not only survive but also flourish. James P. Sterba, President of the American Philosophical Association, Central Division Ecosystems have been compared to a house of cards: remove or damage a part and you risk destroying or fundamentally and irreversibly altering the whole. Protecting ecological integrity means maintaining that whole - an aim which is increasingly difficult to achieve given the ever-growing dominance of humanity. This book is the definitive examination of the state of the field now, and the way things may (and must) develop in the future. Written and edited by members of the Global Ecological Integrity Group - an international collection of the worlds most respected authorities in the area - the book considers the extent to which human rights (such as the rights to food, energy, health, clean air or water) can be reconciled with the principles of ecological integrity. The issue is approached from a variety of economic, legal, ethical and ecological standpoints, providing an essential resource for researchers, students and those in government or business in a wide range of disciplines.

    Foreword * Part I: Overview: Foundations of Ecological Integrity * Introduction * Ecological Integrity: Its History, Its Future and the Development of the Global Ecological Integrity Group * Attaining a Sustainable Society * A Modest Proposal about How to Proceed in Order to Solve the Problem of Inherent Moral Value in Nature * The Earth Charter, Ethics and Global Governance * Ecological Integrity as an Emerging Global Public Good * Part II: Ecological Integrity and Biological Integrity: The Interface * Introduction * Ecological Integrity and Human Rights * Eco-epidemiology: On the Need to Measure Health Effects from Global Change * Finding Paradise in a Complex Web: The Inter-relation of Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Human Health * Part III: Ecological Integrity and Environmental Justice * Introduction * Aligned: Global Justice and Ecology * Indigenous Rights as a Mechanism to Promote Environmental Sustainability * A Human Right to Water: An Ethical Position or a Realizable Goal? * The Case for Understanding Inadequate National Responses to Climate Change as Human Rights Violations * Part IV: Ecological Integrity, Climate Change and Energy * Introduction * How the World Bank could Lead the World in Alleviating Climate Change * The Ecological and Energy Integrity of Corn Ethanol Production * Global Integrity and Utility Regulation: Constructing a Sustainable Economy * Part V: Future Policy Paths for Ecological Integrity * Introduction * What Covenant Sustains Us? * Confounding Integrity: Humanity as Dissipative Structure * Socio-material Communication in Eco-sustainable Societies of the Future * The Way Forward: Governance for Ecological Integrity * Index

    Biography

    Laura Westra is the founder of the Global Ecological Integrity Group (GEIG). Klaus Bosselmann is Professor of Law and Director of the New Zealand Centre for Environmental Law at the University of Auckland. Richard Westra is Assistant Professor of Political Economy at Pukyong National University, South Korea.

    'This wide-ranging book offers a fascinating set of reflections and arguments' Oxford International Journal of Environmental Law