Do we have a moral duty to protect the environment? It’s complicated!

In the face of wildfires, melting glaciers and islands of garbage, protecting the environment feels like a moral duty to many of us. Thus, the individual should buy products that are better for the planet and feel remorse for air travel; communities should speak with one voice and value the environment; and industrial actors should balance profit with resource protection. But what of those who do not share the same moral impulse? Taking as our starting point the overarching goal of protecting the planet, each of us explores the ways that moral responses to environmental issues impact who gets involved in environmental protection and who stays away, whose voices are valued and whose are maligned, and who benefits – and who loses – from efforts to protect the environment.

Drawing from engineering, design and social science, the presenters in this session confront the issue of moral responsibilities to protect the environment at different scales: the individual, the community and industry. Emily Huddart Kennedy identifies diverse relationships to the non-human environment, discussing how misunderstandings and moral judgments among individuals might impact political polarization and overstate the extent to which individuals are culpable for complex environmental issues. Fionn Byrne will share his design for a series of viewing platforms, set out within the Athabasca bituminous sands landscape. These public spaces engage the visitor’s body with extractive environments and landscapes of risk, and in so doing raise questions about shared responsibility and value in nature. Nadja Kunz explores the role of the mining and metals sector in a low-carbon future, and describes the challenges and opportunities for mining companies to contribute to sustainable development in the communities surrounding mining operations.