From the start, the global debate on sustainable development has been challenged by a number of ethical issues. However, to protect the interests of an economic nature held by the corporate establishment (in particular), even the market economy dominates decision processes, both public and private. If we add the great intrusion of private money in politics (corruption), the result has been simply forgetting the multiple dimensions that accompany the important and strategic theme of development sustainability. In general we observe specific interventions; they characterize the situation in most of the world, including international financing and development organizations.
The inclusion of ethics in the economy - the ethiconomy-demand of a radical change in the notions of well-being, development, progress, competitiveness… Change will only be a reality as a result of a revolution in values, which certainly go beyond individualism materialist that today invades our societies. Today, for many it is evident that our well-being is not just about consuming more or having more.
It will be the collective values (eg, solidarity, compassion, equity, cooperation, love, justice, and interdependence) that must be considered and self-realized in our societies. This is not trivial, as we are still dominated by a vision that distances us from our nature as a collective humanity. A dimension of our social consciousness.
At the same time, our well-being is defined, for the most part, by our quality of life, the good use of our time, happiness… We know that many of these things are not of a material nature (having things). It is something that goes far beyond that. They are things and situations that we feel with our hearts. It is not "having" that makes us happy. It is the "being" ourselves and as a society that really pays off in this life.
Obviously, nature (our human and natural environment) is a fundamental component of our well-being and a central element in the quality of life: clean water, clean air, landscapes, forests, the sea, our mountains, animals, rivers, plants, birds, minerals and all our human and natural environment. The state of our nature is a key piece and we must be responsible in taking care of it, conserving it and protecting it.
The following is an exposition about ethics for development by the author of this article:
This responsibility is collective in nature. It is a collective good that belongs to us. The issue that concerns our nature in the public and national sphere is called "sustainable development". A term that has been defined in many ways. Perhaps the most important was the definition of Gro Brundtland, who wrote a book entitled "Our Common Future" (1987). Use three key words to understand sustainable development: ours, future, common. This type of development is ours, it is collective. It is not an individualistic issue. It is not a matter of the Me, Me, Me. It is a matter of us. This demands acting in a group.
Talk about the future. This is something we must build together. The future is built, and it depends on us how that future will be. Talk about the common future. In other words, we are a national family, we are a regional family, we are a global family. This is why global warming affects us all. The loss of biodiversity affects us all. The destruction of the ozone layer affects us all. That's right, Our Common Future.
Brundtland defined sustainable development as a reality where the present generation (we) can satisfy our needs, without limiting future generations so that they can also satisfy their needs. That is, the "we" is not just you and me, but all the people who are not yet born.
This deserves a deep reflection. This implies acting now. This requires policies, investments, and so many other things to provide future generations with a planet Earth at least as good, or even better, than how we receive it.
After decades of debate, it is a reality that there are many ways to understand this type of development:
- As a way to develop and transform as a society. As a collection of collective values for the management and conservation of our natural resources and the environment. As a way of living on this planet, not destroying, not wasted… As a right, in particular, the right to a good life, to an acceptable quality of life… As a state of social consciousness where we understand that nature is not destroyed nor is any form of life that exists today negatively affected.
Below, Steve Howard, chief sustainability executive at Ikea, talks about his experience in selling green materials and practices, both within the firm and to customers around the world. An example of what can be done, from the corporate world, to support efforts to create a global sustainability awareness.
Today, I would like to refer to an important dimension: the "ethical" dimension. That is, the dimension that has to do with the good or the bad, with the acceptable or unacceptable…
But, here I would not like to make value judgments, but to indicate which topics contain very important ethical issues. If we recognize them, if we tackle them… this will be a very big step in our country and in the world.
In the remainder of this text, I am going to address two major issues. One, the importance of "environmental economics". I will refer to this topic because I am an economist. Two, the most relevant ethical issues in this context.
The Environmental Economy
Environmental economics studies the impacts of the economy and economic activities (produce, consume, sell, etc.) on the environment (air and water pollution). It is clear that all economic activities affect the environment. Among the most important topics, we can mention:
- The failure of the markets. The market does not have the mechanisms to resolve negative impacts on the environment. This demands to regulate the markets with green taxes, or subsidies. How we give value to things. The market assigns a value (a price) that depends fundamentally on the utility that consumers have in relation to the use of what they buy. But there are other goods that are not traded on the market. As the case of the air, that one does not buy it. You just breathe it in. Define who owns our natural heritage. For this, property rights (public or private) must be assigned. These rights are very important in the case, for example, of water. Today in Chile these rights are generally private, when they should be collective or citizens. Establish the role of governments. Usually,governments fail as they do not establish incentives to have a green economy. A well-known incentive is the tax called "the polluter pays." Define how to manage the commons that belong to all of us. It is not an easy task. Avoid that the production processes end up irreversibly eliminating natural resources such as fish, native forests… Increase the useful life of consumer products. Some home appliances lasted 50 years. Today, they last four years. In other words, many goods become obsolete very quickly, increasing the waste (garbage) that is generated.Define how to manage the commons that belong to all of us. It is not an easy task. Avoid that the production processes end up irreversibly eliminating natural resources such as fish, native forests… Increase the useful life of consumer products. Some home appliances lasted 50 years. Today, they last four years. In other words, many goods become obsolete very quickly, increasing the waste (garbage) that is generated.Define how to manage the commons that belong to all of us. It is not an easy task. Avoid that the production processes end up irreversibly eliminating natural resources such as fish, native forests… Increase the useful life of consumer products. Some home appliances lasted 50 years. Today, they last four years. In other words, many goods become obsolete very quickly, increasing the waste (garbage) that is generated.increasing the waste (garbage) that is generated.increasing the waste (garbage) that is generated.
Economy and Ethics
We cannot allow economics and politics to operate in an ethical vacuum; this is simply a suicidal path for humanity. Here are some examples of the great ethical issues:
- The importance of committing ourselves to a manifesto for life; but OF ALL THE FORMS OF LIFE THAT EXIST ON THE PLANET. The constant concern about the well-being of future generations. The need to understand that the earth, that the planet earth, is not a thing but a living entity. The challenge of defining in a collective and consensual way as far as the human being can take the transformation of nature. Can we afford to remove all native forests? Can we eliminate thousands of animal and plant species? Where is that limit, who defines it, what must be sacrificed? The definition of an ethics associated with the common goods of humanity. How far can we continue the loss of biodiversity, how far can global warming go,How far can we continue to destroy the ozone layer… How far can we pollute the oceans, rivers, soils, space… These ecological common goods are accompanied by other common goods such as human security, peace, stability, resolution of conflicts… The existence of the so-called "ecological debt" between developed countries (which take away raw materials and natural resources) and the least developed countries that own it. Developed countries have not really paid the true real value of these resources (royalty), the permanent manifestation of ecological injustice at all levels, especially with poor people. An example of ecological injustice is the definition of "slaughter areas". These zones should not exist, whatever the purpose.The importance of ethical aspects linked to space (spatial ethics). Is it ethical to pollute the neighbor? Is it ethical to leave mining tailings that will contaminate the waters that future generations will drink? Where do the tambourines of companies end? The importance of losses of environmental quality and ecological destruction in relation to our social identity, our identity as a nation. Environmental destruction entails a progressive loss of identity, sense of belonging, capacity for integration… The impact of deterioration in food quality, rights to healthy food… We must not justify food security (food supply) using transgenic seeds, and the large losses of indigenous seeds.Is it ethical to pollute the neighbor? Is it ethical to leave mining tailings that will contaminate the waters that future generations will drink? Where do the tambourines of companies end? The importance of losses of environmental quality and ecological destruction in relation to our social identity, our identity as a nation. Environmental destruction entails a progressive loss of identity, sense of belonging, capacity for integration… The impact of deterioration in food quality, rights to healthy food… We must not justify food security (food supply) using transgenic seeds, and the large losses of indigenous seeds.Is it ethical to pollute the neighbor? Is it ethical to leave mining tailings that will contaminate the waters that future generations will drink? Where do the tambourines of companies end? The importance of losses of environmental quality and ecological destruction in relation to our social identity, our identity as a nation. Environmental destruction entails a progressive loss of identity, sense of belonging, capacity for integration… The impact of deterioration in food quality, rights to healthy food… We must not justify food security (food supply) using transgenic seeds, and the large losses of indigenous seeds.
Conclusions
- Development sustainability is not just another issue. It is the only subject. It is the paradigm of the future. We have to create a battery of incentives to walk towards sustainable development and empowered development. What was once a "technological" limitation today is a "biological" limitation. This should change our way of seeing, in practice, well-being, development, the economy, public and private decisions, the definition of priorities, the importance of the medium and long term, etc., because our actions affect many forms of life, and for many generations, that are related to our planet, it is imperative to tackle together and consensually the ethical problems that humanity confronts.
As a final conclusion, we leave you with the following presentation in which Jason Clay, WWF Senior Vice President for Market Transformation, ensures that if only 100 key companies are convinced to support sustainability, global markets would transform to protect the planet.
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