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

About this book

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 dominating influence of humanity. This book, from the Global Ecological Integrity Group, 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 an international collection of the world's most respected authorities in the area, the book considers the extent to which human rights - such as the right 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. It ends with a declaration of the principles the authors believe we must adopt if we are to avoid the destruction that is otherwise envisaged.

Contents

Part I: Foundations of Ecological Integrity; Introduction; Ecological Integrity; Sustaining Living Systems; A Modest Proposal about How to Solve the Problem of Inherent Moral Value; Ecological Integrity and the Conservation of Biodiversity; Integrity as an Emerging Global Public Good; Part II - Ecological Integrity and Biological Integrity; Introduction; Ecoepidemiology; Biodiversity and Human Health; Part III - Ecological Integrity and Environmental Justice; Introduction; The Moral Demands of Global Justice; Indigenous Rights as a Means to Promote a Sustainable Society; The Right to Water; Mining Corporations and Human Rights; The Case for Seeing Climate Change Policies as Triggering Human Rights Violations; Part IV - Ecological Integrity and Energy; Introduction; Ethanol and Other Biofuels; Global Integrity and Utility Regulations; Part V - Future Policy Paths for Ecological Integrity; Introduction; What Covenant Sustains Us?; Confounding Integrity; Socio-Material Communication in Eco-Sustainable Societies of the Future; The Way Forward; Index.

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Biography

Laura Westra is President 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.