Programme for Applied Ethics, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Dragvoll, 7491, Trondheim, Norway.
Sci Eng Ethics. 2020 Feb;26(1):405-429. doi: 10.1007/s11948-019-00100-8. Epub 2019 Mar 28.
The rapid growth of human population and associated industrialisation creates strains on resources and climate. One way to understand the impact of human activity is to quantify the total environmental pressures by measuring the 'footprint'. Footprints account for the total direct and/or indirect effects of a product or a consumption activity, which may be related to e.g. carbon, water or land use, and can be seen as a proxy for environmental responsibility. Footprints shape climate and resource debates, especially concerning environmental strategies. However, in general, footprints hold a dichotomous producer-consumer perspective that is not unanimously accepted. In addition, the current footprinting system transmits a simplistic message about environmental responsibility that taints the justice debate and jeopardises the validity of policies based on them. Consequently, it is crucial to question who is (and should be) accountable for adverse environmental effects. It is also critical to investigate how the methodological characteristics of footprints shape and affect the efficacy of policies on climate and natural resources. This article examines these challenges, focusing on negative justice and policy implications resulting from assigning environmental responsibility to a sole agent. The article proposes, and morally justifies, the development of a footprinting method that includes justice parameters in an attempt to render fair results that are more meaningful for environmental action. The second objective is to establish the potential of this new framework to promote environmental responsibility and justice while facilitating policymaking. The suggested justice elements aim at turning footprints into a concrete environmental policy instrument framed under the value of environmental fairness.
人口的快速增长和与之相关的工业化给资源和气候带来了压力。了解人类活动的影响的一种方法是通过测量“足迹”来量化总环境压力。足迹包括产品或消费活动的全部直接和/或间接影响，这些影响可能与碳、水或土地利用等有关，可以看作是环境责任的代表。足迹塑造了气候和资源辩论，尤其是关于环境战略的辩论。然而，总的来说，足迹持有的生产者-消费者二元观点并不被普遍接受。此外，当前的足迹系统传递了一种关于环境责任的简单信息，这种信息污染了正义辩论，并危及基于这些信息的政策的有效性。因此，质疑谁（以及应该）对环境的不良影响负责是至关重要的。调查足迹的方法特征如何塑造和影响气候和自然资源政策的效果也至关重要。本文探讨了这些挑战，重点关注将环境责任归咎于单一代理人所带来的负面正义和政策影响。本文提出并从道德上证明了开发一种足迹方法的必要性，该方法将正义参数纳入其中，以试图得出更公平、对环境行动更有意义的结果。第二个目标是确定这个新框架在促进环境责任和正义以及便利政策制定方面的潜力。建议的正义要素旨在将足迹转化为一种具体的环境政策工具，该工具框架基于环境公平的价值。
