August 17, 2017
by Margaret Perkins, Co-chair, Population Environment & Consumption Committee, NYC Group
Ethical considerations of the impending harm caused by the current generation of humans — us — to the next generation of humans and wildlife was the topic of three outstanding talks at the April meeting of the New York City Sierra Club Sustainability Series. The meeting, entitled A New Cultural Ethic for Our Planet, explored the issue from various angles — legal, ethical and the human impact on species other than our own. It was organized by the Population, Consumption and Environment Committee of the NYC Sierra Group and the Atlantic Chapter.
The legal fight to protect global climate is embodied in an unprecedented case, Juliana vs US, currently in federal court and perhaps on its way to the Supreme Court. One of the evening’s speakers, Alex Loznak, is a plaintiff in the case, which is sponsored by Our Children’s Trust https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/. He gave an excellent introduction to the case, explaining that it alleges that the government’s failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has violated the children’s Fifth Amendment due process rights to life, liberty, property and a stable climate.
They also allege that the government has violated its obligations under the Constitution’s public trust doctrine to hold natural resources in public trust for future generations. Alex, a junior at Columbia University, described growing up on his family’s farm in Oregon and the harm excessive heat has had in recent years on the hazelnuts his family has cultured. Juliana vs US won an important decision in November 2016 when Judge Aiken of the US District Court for the District of Oregon stated that the case has sufficient merit to be granted a trial. Despite unprecedented challenges to dismiss the case by the Trump administration, it now has a trial date of February 5, 2018. Famed meteorologist James Hansen has put faith in the likelihood that this case could turn the tide in the US about climate change.
The second speaker, Dr. Travis Rieder, professor of bioethics at the Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, spoke on “Ethics of Small Family Size in the Age of Climate Change.” Dr. Rieder described the obvious devastating effects on climate-changing carbon emissions and ecosystem loss caused by our current world population of 7.5 billion. He stressed that the planet is heading toward a catastrophic breakdown and that the solutions have to be dramatic and likely unpopular.
Dr. Rieder clearly explained the strong argument for not creating another new human being. He argued that each new parent will increase their lifetime carbon footprint six times by creating another human child. He stated that achieving a sustainable population is a collective problem so we need to consider collective solutions. Dr. Rieder also discussed policies that have been shown to reduce high birth rates, including education for girls, employment opportunities for women and access to family planning.
(Note: To read the Sierra Club’s policy on population issues, go to http://www.sierraclub.org/policy/ then scroll to “Population.” The current policy was approved by the Club’s Board of Directors in May 2017.)
Dr. Liz Bennett, Vice President of Species Conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society, spoke on “Loss of Biodiversity on our Crowded Planet.” She described in graphic terms the rapid decline of threatened species worldwide in the past 10–15 years, including the loss of 65% of African elephants between the years 2002 and 2011. The loss has been well documented by WCS and other conservation societies, which have recognized that it’s critical to monitor the major human activities that are responsible.
The human population’s unrelenting need for more space for shelter and more land for food are the driving factors, although invasive species and animal diseases capitalizing on ecosystem imbalance are also responsible for a significant part of the decline. As an example, Dr. Bennett mentioned that industrial palm-oil plantations in South Asia are responsible for the loss of half of all orangutan habitats.
She closed by describing solutions to the problem, including creating national parks, involving local communities and strengthening management. In a hopeful sign, the US signed a treaty with China in 2015 to enact “nearly complete bans” on the import and export of ivory.
Video of the three talks has been posted on the Atlantic Chapter's YouTube Channel.
For further information on the talks and speakers, contact Margaret Perkins meperkins@nyc.rr.com.