Keeping it in the ground? Assessing global governance for fossil-fuel supply reduction

Restricting the international supply of fossil fuels is increasingly acknowledged as a necessary part of achieving long-term global temperature goals. However, the barriers to imposing such restrictions are immense. Issues of economic stability, equity, and associated geo-political tensions, are particularly acute. In theory, a managed decline can be facilitated by international cooperation. In practice, however, despite some apparent rhetorical commitments, adequate institutional responses have not been forthcoming. This paper highlights potentially relevant institutions, and assesses their combined contribution to fulfilling a set of governance functions relevant to decarbonisation in this case. The analysis finds that the governance challenges associated with deciding what fossil fuel carbon should be designated ‘unburnable’, and managing the associated equity-related, geo-political conflicts, are far from being fully recognised. Potential institutional reforms, by which governance gaps could be narrowed, are identified. These highlight the further potential of the G20, UNFCCC and WTO in particular

The Universal Declaration’s Problematic Rights Justification

In this paper I aim to critically analyse the underlying moral justificationof the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of the Rightsof Mother Earth. The aim of the critique is to highlight some of theproblematic areas that underpin the Declaration’s rights and in doingso to point to ways that one can begin to rectify the problems withthem and the Universal Declaration itself. The paper aims to criticallyexamine the moral justification for the Universal Declaration’s rights,which is found in the works of Thomas Berry and his commentatorswho use the notion of ‘subjectivity’ to justify the existence of suchrights. The paper critically examines such a notion and argues that itis not strong enough to do the work required of it, and that it is tooproblematic to serve as a justification for the Universal Declaration’srights, as the ethical framework it provides is too cryptic and indeterminate, and does not provide us with an adequate action- and lawguiding framework upon which to establish the Universal Declarationand its rights

Oil and gas corporations as anti-racist decolonial liberators? A case study of propaganda from the struggle against Shell in South Africa

Oil and gas corporations and their lobbyists are increasingly appropriating the language of racial justice, anti-imperialism, and decolonization to block climate action and advance a polluting, extractive, and neocolonial agenda. This article argues that these appropriations are a form of propaganda called 'undermining demagoguery', which serves to subvert the very ideals it claims to uphold. Shell's attempt to explore for oil and gas off the Wild Coast of South Africa is used as a case study. The article shows how such propaganda efforts are becoming increasingly prevalent and recommends strategies that can be used to counteract them

Equitably Ending the Fossil Fuel Era: Climate Justice, Capital, & the Carbon Budget

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2019This dissertation makes the moral case for equitably transitioning away from fossil fuels in line with keeping global warming as close as possible to the Paris Climate Agreement’s more stringent target of keeping global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. It argues that we should do so while relying as little as possible on risky and uncertain negative emissions and geoengineering technologies, as doing so might prolong the fossil fuel era and pose grave potential costs both to the present and future generations. The dissertation addresses a central objection to the moral imperative to transition away from fossil fuels, namely that it will detrimentally impact the poor and vulnerable. It argues in response that protecting the interests of the poor and vulnerable is best achieved through a rapid yet just transition away from fossil fuels. Based on the moral case to transition away from fossil fuels in line with 1.5°C the dissertation also explores what personal moral responsibility individuals have to take action to reduce fossil fuel usage and act on climate change. It does so by situating our moral responsibility in the context of what it argues is an emergency situation where need to rapidly and comprehensively move away from fossil fuels to avert catastrophic climate change and the immense harms associated with continued fossil fuel dependence. Based on the development of an Anti-Pollution Principle, it concludes that in the face of this emergency we have demanding moral responsibilities to reduce our personal emissions but which can be outweighed by the more important task of collectively pushing for deep, rapid, and comprehensive structural change away from fossil fuel dependency

Singer Revisited: Cosmopolitanism, Global Poverty and Our Ethical Requirements

A commonly held view is that giving to the poor is superogatory i.e., that while it is a good thing to do, it is not morally wrong for us not to do so. This essay sets out to show that for the affluent in the world giving to the poor is not superogatory but is rather a moral obligation. The paper critiques Singer's famous argument in ‘Famine, Affluence and Morality’ and finds that although the argument is a cogent and powerful one, Singer, when trying to apply the argument to how we should act, somewhat skews the argument's real implications. Furthermore, it is argued that a cosmopolitan concern for the global poor is the morally correct response to have, and the author defends this view by examining the proper effect that aspects like geographicaldistance, nationality, reciprocity, and the nature of the global economic system should have on our moral considerations. In conclusion, it is argued that since the way that each person utilises his/her resources is a reflection of what he/she values, then for many of us in positions of affluence, in order to be moral, much more should be done in order to help those experiencing dire, life-threatening poverty across the globe.

Singer Revisited: Cosmopolitanism, Global Poverty and Our Ethical Requirements

A commonly held view is that giving to the poor is superogatory i.e. that while it is a good thing to do, it is not morally wrong for us not to do so. This essay sets out to show that for the affluent in the world giving to the poor is not superogatory but is rather a moral obligation. The paper critiques Singer’s famous argument in ‘Famine, Affluence and Morality’ and finds that although the argument is a cogent and powerful one, Singer, when trying to apply the argument to how we should act, somewhat skews the argument’s real implications. Furthermore it is argued that a cosmopolitan concern for the global poor is the morally correct response to have, and defends this view by examining the proper effect that that aspects like geographical distance, nationality, reciprocity, and the nature of the global economic system should have on our moral considerations. In conclusion it is argued that as the way that each person spends his/her money is a reflection of what he/she values, then for many of us in positions of affluence, in order to be moral, much more should be done in order to help those experiencing dire, life-threatening poverty across the globe

Creating a new declaration of rights : a critical reconstruction of earth jurisprudence's global legislative framework

This thesis aims to critique the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth and its underlying moral justification in order to provide a stronger and improved version of both. In Chapter 1 I explore what sort of moral justification is necessary to establish the Universal Declaration on firm grounds and explore its relation to environmental ethics and rights discourse. I argue that a non-anthropocentric perspective is necessary to justify the Universal Declaration’s rights. In Chapter 2 I explore the underlying justification of the Universal Declaration as discovered in the works of Cormac Cullinan and Father Thomas Berry. I argue that their ethical framework is indeterminate, has many ambiguities and uncertainties, and, among other problems, it does not provide a clear action-guiding framework. In Chapter 3 I develop an alternative justification for the Universal Declaration. I argue against many predominant moral theories, that in light of our best scientific and moral understanding we should expand the realm of moral concern to include all living beings, a moral theory I call Life’s Imperative. In Chapter 4 I illustrate that Life’s Imperative is a much stronger, more coherent justification for the Universal Declaration, one that coheres with both our best understanding of the natural world and our relation to it, and to an environmental ethic reflective of that relationship. Unfortunately many of the weaknesses in the current implicit justification of the Universal Declaration have also led to it enshrining rights that are themselves problematic. In order to address these issues, I revise its rights to accord with the stronger justification that I established in Chapter 3. The end result of doing so is a revised version of the Universal Declaratio

An Exploration of Food Quality Across Dietary Patterns: Towards an Understanding of Ketogenic, Low-Carbohydrate, Vegetarian, and Vegan Diet Quality

Background: Understanding and measuring diet quality is a topic that has received increasing attention in recent years with the NOVA system being a catalyst for this change in 2009. Recent advances in this area suggest that, at a population level, diets are shifting toward a reliance on hyper-palatable ultra-processed foods (UPFs) across the globe. While the development of UPFs was once strictly about creating convenient, mass-producible foods; with the increasing interest in alternative dietary patterns (ADPs) there is now a milieu of specialty UPFs marketed towards individuals consuming lower-carbohydrate and plant-based diets. Common lower-carbohydrate diets include the ketogenic diet (KD) and low-carbohydrate, healthy fat (LCHF) diet, while the vegan (VEGAN) and vegetarian (VEGE) are common plant-based diets. Despite the growing interest and number of UPFs available for these once-niche groups, little is known about the translation of dietary guidelines into practice and how the availability of UPFs impacts overall diet quality (DQ) in these individuals. This research aimed to explore the DQ of adults adhering to ADPs for at least 6-months using a modified questionnaire and two novel food classification systems. Methods: In this pilot study, a modified online dietary habits questionnaire was developed and disseminated; results were interpreted using the NOVA (not an acronym) and HISS (Human Interference Scoring System) food classification tools. Participants were recruited via social media platforms between Friday 26th August and Sunday 18th September 2022 and responded to the questionnaire, anonymously, via Qualtrics. Data were quantitatively analysed using descriptive and parametric statistics (oneway repeated measures ANOVA, two-way repeated measures ANOVA and linear regression) in the software programme, JASP (version 0.16.3.0). Results: There was a total of 168 responses comprising 56 KD (m=16, f=39), 66 LCHF (m=13, f=53), 14 VEGAN (m=4, f=10), and 32 VEGE (m=5, f=27). Respondents were predominantly of European descent, female, and classified as moderate-income professionals. Analysis of DQ revealed that individuals adhering to a lower-carbohydrate diet (either KD or LCHF) tended to consume a smaller proportion (% of total serves) of their diet from UPFs and a larger proportion from unprocessed and minimally processed foods (KD 53 ±12; LCHF 51 ±13). There was a statistically significant difference in NOVA% among the four ADPs F(6.150, 336.184) = 8.285, p < 0.001, with a medium effect size (η²= 0.063). Food groups contributing to intake in NOVA 1 (minimally processed food category) and NOVA 4 (ultra-processed food category) were similar among lower-carbohydrate individuals and plant-based individuals respectively. There was an inverse relationship between perceived and actual DQ, and NOVA and HISS were only similar across the fourth level of processing (UPFs). These data show that diet quality assessment tools can be applied to a range of dietary patterns. Conclusion: These data indicate that in free-living individuals, DQ (as assessed by the proportion of dietary intake as a number of serves, across different levels of food processing) is higher among those adhering to lower-carbohydrate diets compared to those adhering to plant-based diets. However, these individuals are not exempt from the consumption of UPFs or the belief that their diet quality is superior to what it is. Future research should explore the difference in DQ in larger samples, validate existing tools for the quantification of DQ and assess whether there are safe thresholds for the consumption of UPFs in the context of different dietary patterns