Reconciling Human Existence With Ecological Integrity

by Westra, Laura; Bosselmann, Klaus; Westra, Richard

• ISBN13: 9781844075652
• ISBN10: 1844075656
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-08-31
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

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 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.

Table of Contents

List of Boxes, Figures and Tables
Foreword
Preface
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
Overview: Foundations of Ecological Integrity
Introduction	p. 3
Ecological Integrity: Its History, Its Future and the Development of the Global Ecological Integrity Group	p. 5
Attaining a Sustainable Society	p. 21
A Modest Proposal about How to Proceed in Order to Solve the Problem of Inherent Moral Value in Nature	p. 39
The Earth Charter, Ethics and Global Governance	p. 61
Ecological Integrity as an Emerging Global Public Good	p. 73
Ecological Integrity and Biological Integrity: The Interface
Introduction	p. 87
Ecological Integrity and Human Rights	p. 89
Eco-epidemiology: On the Need to Measure Health Effects from Global Change	p. 109
Finding 'Paradise' in a Complex Web: The Inter-relation of Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Human Health	p. 125
Ecological Integrity and Environmental Justice
Introduction	p. 145
Aligned: Global Justice and Ecology	p. 147
Indigenous Rights as a Mechanism to Promote Environmental Sustainability	p. 159
A Human Right to Water: An Ethical Position or a Realizable Goal?	p. 183
The Case for Understanding Inadequate National Responses to Climate Change as Human Rights Violations	p. 195
Ecological Integrity, Climate Change and Energy
Introduction	p. 215
How the World Bank could Lead the World in Alleviating Climate Change	p. 219
The Ecological and Energy Integrity of Corn Ethanol Production	p. 245
Global Integrity and Utility Regulation: Constructing a Sustainable Economy	p. 257
Future Policy Paths for Ecological Integrity
Introduction	p. 275
What Covenant Sustains Us?	p. 277
Confounding Integrity: Humanity as Dissipative Structure	p. 293
Socio-material Communication in Eco-sustainable Societies of the Future	p. 303
The Way Forward: Governance for Ecological Integrity	p. 319
Index	p. 339
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