Volume 6, Number 1
by Kristen Hessler, ISU Bioethics Outreach Coordinator
Our patterns of consumption are so ingrained in our daily lives that it can be difficult even to notice them. And yet our consumption affects the environment, other people, and even future generations. When we look more closely at our own patterns of consumption, can we justify them?
It is not difficult to find evidence that we consume too much. The brown haze over some American cities is the direct result of burning fossil fuels at rates higher than the atmosphere can easily absorb. Those of us who live in more sparsely populated areas do not necessarily use fewer resources on a per capita basis, but because there are fewer of us in the vicinity we do not have to worry about breathing that brown haze at the end of the day. Globally, however, our CO2 emissions contribute just as much to global warming as they would if we were driving in Los Angeles. From a global perspective, we all have the same responsibility to question our own consumption patterns.
Can you articulate your own ethical standards for the products you buy? If so, do you know if your purchasing patterns are consistent with these values? This can be much more difficult than it seems. An animal lover who buys a puppy from a pet store might contribute unknowingly to the suffering of dogs in puppy mills. Wood for building a deck may come from renewable or nonrenewable sources. Sneakers might be made in a sweatshop. Knowing where the goods you purchase come from and how they were produced is essential in order to ensure that your consumption patterns are consistent with your values. For example, my sister-in-law avoids purchasing fish whose wild stocks are threatened by overfishing, but she cannot always remember which kinds of fish are “okay,” so she brings a list with her to the supermarket.
Though global population growth is slowing, the United Nations Population Division expects the world population to approach 9 billion people by 2050, up from around 6 billion in 2000. At this rate of growth, many worry that current consumption patterns are not environmentally sustainable. Even at today’s population levels, however, our consumption patterns are difficult to justify. How we affect the atmosphere, our waterways, and wilderness will surely affect the lives and choices of future generations. Do we have obligations to these future people, and if so, are we adequately fulfilling those obligations?
Those of us in affluent countries consume much more than people in developing countries. We use a lot of nonrenewable energy and we have more disposable income to spend on material goods. As income levels rise, so does consumption. The global environment could not last long in its current state if everyone consumed at levels currently common among affluent countries. There are two ways to break the link between development and environmental degradation. Either the global economy will have to grow in an environmentally friendly way, perhaps through developing alternative energy sources or other environmentally friendly technologies, or the affluent will have to voluntarily curb their consumption.
Our assessment of whether we consume too much depends on how we understand “too much.” It is reasonable to say that we consume too much if our consumption patterns deplete nonrenewable resources or fail to leave adequate resources for others. But another sense in which we consume too much has to do with the quality of our own lives. As philosopher Mark Sagoff writes, “We consume too much when market relationships displace the bonds of community, compassion, culture, and place. We consume too much when consumption becomes an end in itself and makes us lose affection and reverence for the natural world.”
Because our consumption patterns are built into our very lifestyles, it can be difficult to think of them as ethical decisions. When we consider the effects of our consumption, however, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that consumption is an ethical issue. And as Sagoff argues, ethical consumption can coincide with a rich and deliberate lifestyle.
The annual bioethics faculty retreat was held January 9 on the Iowa State University campus. The purpose of this year’s retreat was to examine how agricultural subsidies impact global justice.
The keynote speaker was Allen Buchanan, from the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy and Department of Philosophy at Duke University. Dr. Buchanan provided an overview of theories of global justice and suggested that issues of global justice, including agricultural subsidies, may best be addressed by modifying current international organizations and practices. In addition, he suggested coordinating the activities of multiple organizations to collectively meet goals. He said abstract moral principles play a role in determining whether particular policies, including the provision of agricultural subsidies, are just.
Two panels during the afternoon sessions examined the local and global effects of U.S. agricultural subsidies. Speakers discussed the impacts of agricultural subsidies for farmers, producers, agricultural companies, and consumers in the United States and around the world. The speakers included Bruce Babcock and John Beghin of the ISU Center for Agricultural and Rural Development; Craig Gundersen, associate professor of human development and family studies; Charlie Brummer, associate professor of agronomy; George Naylor, president of the National Family Farm Coalition; and Joel Severinghaus, director of international activities at the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.
More than 40 faculty and Extension personnel attended the retreat. “We were very pleased with the turnout at the retreat as well as the informative questions and discussions between the speakers and participants,” said Kristen Hessler, Bioethics Outreach Coordinator and coordinator of the retreat. "The speakers were uniformly excellent, and the audience participated with great interest."
Monday, February 16, 2004
3:10 p.m., Entomology Seminar, “From Basic Research in Chemical Ecology
to its Practical Application in Sustainable Agriculture.” Dr. Junwei Zhu,
Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, E-164 Lagomarcino, 515-294-7400.
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
4:10 p.m., Modern Views of Nutrition Seminar, “Shedding Light on Food
Safety: The Glare of Carcass Contamination.” Mark Rasmussen, PhD and collaborating
assistant professor, USDA-ARS-NADC. 1010 LeBaron Hall.
Friday, February 20, 2004
7:00 p.m., Bioethics Program Lecture Series, “Defining Biodiversity: Do
We Know What We Are Trying to Save?" Bryan Norton, Georgia Institute
of Technology, School of Public Policy. Bryan Norton is one of the most famous
writers on science, environmental policy, and philosophy, and is especially
famous for his work on biodiversity (WHY PRESERVE NATURAL VARIETY? [Princeton
U Press, 1987]), on environmental politics (TOWARD UNITY AMONG ENVIRONMENTALISTS,
[Oxford U Press 1991]) and more recently for groundbreaking work on sustainability
and the philosophy of conservation biology (SEARCHING FOR SUSTAINABILITY, [Cambridge
University Press 2003]). He is widely regarded as the most famous proponent
of environmental pragmatism. His talk at ISU will focus on practical,
moral, and conceptual issues involved in evaluating the endangered species act.
Gold Room, Memorial Union. Reception to follow.
Friday, February 20, 2004
3:10 p.m., Animal Science Seminar, “Animal and Environmental Welfare -
The Swedish Perspective.” Claire Andreasen, PhD, DVM, and chair, ISU Department
of Veterinary Pathology. 1204 Kildee Hall.
Monday, February 23, 2004
6:00 p.m., “Think Tank on Animal Agriculture.” Contact Julie Roberts
at jrober@iastate.edu for more information and to register, $13.00 for dinner;
participation in discussion is free, Cardinal Room, ISU Memorial Union, 294-2353.
Monday, March 1, 2004
3:10 p.m., Entomology Seminar, Dr. Richard Hellmich, Corn Insect and Crop Genetics
Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA. “Bt Corn: Lessons Learned from the
European Corn Borer and Monarch Butterfly,” E-164 Lagomarcino , 515-294-7400.
Monday, March 1, 2004
Time TBA, Bioethics Lecture Series, “Transgenic Crops and Environmental
Protection.” Paul Thompson, Michigan State University. Author of numerous
books and papers, Thompson is one of the worlds foremost experts in agricultural
and environmental bioethics. Location TBA. 515-294-3068.
Monday, March 1, 2004
8:00 p.m., ISU Lecture Series, “Ethics and Agriculture.” Paul Thompson,
professor of agricultural, food and community ethics in the department of philosophy
at Michigan State University. He is the author of “The Spirit of the Soil:
Agriculture and Environmental Ethics”; “The Ethics of Aid and Trade”;
“Food Biotechnology in Ethical Perspective”, and co-editor of “The
Agrarian Roots of Pragmatism”. He has served on many national and international
committees on agricultural biotechnology and contributed to the National Research
Council report “The Environmental Effects of Transgenic Plants”.
He has a doctorate from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Sun
Room, Memorial Union.
Wednesday, March 3, 2004
2:30 p.m., John Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture, “Agricultural
Policy for the 21st Century and the Legacy of the Wallaces.” Daryll Ray,
Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy and director of the Agricultural
Policy Analysis Center at the University of Tennessee. Questions and discussion
from the audience will follow the formal program. Oak Room, Memorial Union.
(515) 294-6061.
Thursday, March 4, 2004
7:00 p.m., ISU Lecture Series, Issues in Agriculture, “Organic Foods.”
Kathleen Delate, an organic crops specialist with a joint faculty appointment
in the departments of horticulture and agronomy. Hughes Auditorium, Reiman Gardens.
Thursday, March 4, 2004
8:00 p.m., Science and Society Lecture, “Science Policy: Why Should You
Care? What scientists and engineers do, affects you.” Mary Good, past
president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, following
Dr. Stephen Jay Gould. During the terms of Presidents Carter and Reagan, she
served on the National Science Board and chaired it from 1988-1991. She was
the Undersecretary for Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce and Technology
during President Clinton's first term. She spent 25 years teaching and researching
at Louisiana State University and the University of New Orleans, before becoming
a guiding force in research and development for Allied Signal. She is currently
the dean of the CyberCollege at University of Arkansas in Little Rock, and serves
as the managing partner of Venture Capital Investors, LLC in Little Rock. Sun
Room, Memorial Union
Saturday, March 6, 2004
Bioethics Lecture Series, Mini Conference for ISU Faculty and Students: “The
Use of Animals in Teaching and Research.” Speakers will include Bernard
Rollin (Colorado State U), Dr Susan Krebsbach DVM, as well as other speakers
from ISU and elsewhere. This conference will be of special interest to
faculty and students in Vet Med and in the Life Sciences. In the course
of this event, participants will gain accreditation for the use of animals in
their own teaching and research. Location TBA. 515-294-3068.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
4:10 p.m., Modern Views of Nutrition Seminar, “Food Allergens: Facts and
Myths.” Susan Hefle, PhD and assistant professor, Department of Food Science
and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Friday, March 19, 2004
2:00 p.m., CUAHSI Cyber-Seminar, “Integrated Science and Decision Making:
Cutting Edge Science to Address Real-World Watershed Issues.” David Goodrich,
USGS-ARS-SWRC. 8 Brenton Center, Curtiss Hall, 515-294-9868.
Monday, March 29, 2004
4:10 p.m., Horticulture Seminar, “The Effects of Conventional and Alternative
Weed Management Systems on Soil Quality in Strawberry and Vineyard Agroecosystems”,
by Craig Dilley, graduate student in Horticulture, Iowa State University, 118
Horticulture Hall, 515-294-2751.
Monday, March 29, 2004 (tentative)
Bioethics Lecture Series, “The Use of Animals in Higher Education:
Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations.” Jonathan Balcomb,
associate director for education in animal research section of the U.S. Humane
Society. Balcomb is the author of numerous books and papers on the humane use
of animals in research. 515-294-3068.
Thursday, April 1, 2004
8:00 p.m., American Indian Symposium, “Peoples of Place: Environment,
Culture and Technology.” Daniel Wildcat, co-director of Haskell Environmental
Research Studies Center (HERS) and a faculty member at Haskell Indian Nations
University in Lawrence, Kansas. The Center is a non-profit Native American research
center to facilitate technology transfer to tribal governments and Native communities,
the transfer of accurate environmental information to tribes and research opportunities
to tribal college faculty and students throughout the United States. He is co-author
of “Power and Place: Indian Education in America” and a Yuchi member
of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma. Great Hall, Memorial Union.
Bioethics in Brief
March 2004
Volume 6, Issue 1
Published four times per year
by the ISU Office of Biotechnology
and the Bioethics Program.
To subscribe, call 515-294-7356.
Editor: Dena Huisman
Bioethics Outreach Coordinator: Kristen Hessler
Bioethics Program Coordinator: Clark Wolf
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 318 Beardshear Hall, 515-294-7612.
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