ETHICS OF ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

Global problems related to energy:

Environmental problems / Sustainability

Climate change

Human Development /

Global Justice

Energy security / War & peace

GLOBAL ENERGY CHALLENGESAS ETHICAL CHALLENGES

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Use of fossil fuels causes

Pollution

Acid rain

Climate change

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

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Perceived as the major environmental issue of our time

What is happening…

Evidence includes continued ice-loss from glaciers

Changes in (other) ecosystems

CLIMATE CHANGE

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Consequences for environment, but also for economy, human lives

Dimensions: environmental, economic, health & safety, food production, security, …

Recommendation UNEP: Transform hydrocarbon based energy systems NOW!

CLIMATE CHANGE

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Peak oil: maximum rate of petroleum extraction is expected to decline soon (optimistic scenario)

SUSTAINABILITY

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Alternatives? Gas is not sustainable, nuclear energy also ethically problematic

Consensus that our current way of producing and using energy is not sustainable, and that we need to develop, and invest in, renewable energy sources (production) and improve energy efficiency (use)

Better technologies

Different behaviour, different lives

Make sure that our (current) use does not burden future generations: inter-generational justice

SUSTAINABILITY

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Energy not only central to sustainable development, but also to poverty reduction

Affects all aspects of development, including livelihoods, access to water, agricultural productivity, health, population levels, …

Aims (see also UNDP):

Access to energy

Quality of energy

Security of energy

Affordability of energy (problem of oil price after peak oil…)

Clean energy

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

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How should (the benefits of) energy production and use be distributed across society and across the world?

How should the burdens of energy production and use be distributed?

North – South, West – East

Energy and goods produced in one part of the world, (health) risks in other part of the world

GLOBAL JUSTICE

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Problems

Depletion of oil and other non-renewable sources of energy

Energy needs of the West

Energy needs of poorer countries AND OF ADVANCING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (e.g. China, India, Brazil – the so-called BRIC

countries)

Population growth

Accidents and natural disasters

Competition, political instability, geopolitics, war

Address energy concerns in a sustainable and peaceful manner

IEA (International Energy Agency): ‘the world is locking itself into an insecure, inefficient and high-carbon energy system’

ENERGY SECURITY

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Energy conflicts

wars

WAR & PEACE

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Survival

Better lives

Sustainability

Human development

Justice

Security

Peace

ENERGY & VALUES

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Take values into account in design of new technologies (see also Brey, van den Hoven, and others)

DESIGN & VALUES

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Threats

‘old’ energy technologies

Opportunities

Innovation

ENERGY & TECHNOLOGY

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Global context: competition, innovation wars: ‘green technology race’

ENERGY & TECHNOLOGY

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US energy secretary warns of 'Sputnik moment' in green technology raceSteven Chu says US must invest urgently in research and innovation to keep pace with China and other countries (Guardian)

Philosophers

Social scientists

Engineers & designers

Policy makers

Consumers / citizens

COLLABORATION

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CTIT research

projects on energy and sustainability

energy-efficiency via micro-CHP

energy pricing

optimalization of traffic-, transport and logistics processes

environmental monitoring via sensor networks

Philosophy

Ethics & technology

energy

EXAMPLE: CTIT RESEARCH + PHILOSOPHY

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EXAMPLE: SMART GRIDS

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Scientific methods

Other ways of thinking about the future

Imagining the future

fiction

EXAMPLE: SCENARIOS

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CONTACTM.COECKELBERGH@UTWENTE.NL

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