Climate Change Archives - Viterbi Conversations in Ethics

Spring 2023 Weekly News Profile

The Influence of Climate Change on the Pros and Cons of California’s Wet Season

Already in 2023 California has experienced extreme rainfall that has significantly reduced the drought conditions in the state. This wet winter has also led to superblooms, a phenomenon in which wildflowers are able to cover vast fields due to the ground retaining moisture from the excessive rainfall. However, this level of rainfall has also led to extensive damage and flooding, and even the beautiful wildflowers pose an increased risk of wildfires once they dry out. Both these benefits and long term issues can be traced back to climate change, with the warming of the planet leading to a significant increase in the risk of a California megaflood.

Fall 2022 Weekly News Profile

Can Lab-Grown Meat Help Save the Planet?

Jackie Finnemeyer December 26, 2022 Climate Change Lab Meat Meat Industry

As the global population and demands for meat continue to grow, so, too, does the meat industry’s contribution to climate change. Lab-grown meats are not far away from grocery store shelves, and they have the capability to reduce the impact of the meat industry on our planet. First, however, they will need to win over consumers.

Fall 2022 Weekly News Profile

The Power of the Sun: Nuclear Fusion’s Future as Clean Energy

Kaylee Tseng December 21, 2022 Clean Energy Climate Change Fossil Fuels

A recent achievement in the field of nuclear fusion has propelled the long-researched energy source into the spotlight. Until now, nuclear fusion was only a theoretical way to generate clean energy, but nuclear fusion has passed an important energetic threshold that offers early hope for the technology. However, this technology will likely take decades to implement, and it may come too late if currently available clean energy methods are not rapidly adopted.

Fall 2022 Volume 6 Issue 2

Why the Keystone XL Pipeline was Unethical

January Billington November 15, 2022 Climate Change Environmental Ethics Keystone XL

This article draws upon environmental, utilitarian, rights and justice ethics in order to explain why the Keystone XL Pipeline extension was unethical and why its permit was revoked by the Biden Administration in 2021. It debunks the common claims that the pipeline would increase jobs and encourage economic growth, as well as sheds light upon the negative environmental effects and risks to indigenous populations, offering ethical guidelines for the future, such as consulting with indigenous communities before embarking on construction projects.

Fall 2022 Volume 6 Issue 2

The Ethical Case for Fossil Fuels

Benjamin Martin November 15, 2022 Climate Change Common Good Developing World Fossil Fuels

A growing number of industrialized countries are questioning the ethical use of fossil fuels, considering climate change is primarily due to greenhouse gas emissions. Many leaders are removing subsidies for fossil fuel companies, pushing against offshore drilling, and divesting from fossil fuel projects like pipelines and refineries. While this may seem like the right thing to do, many economically developed nations tend to forget about the rest of the world. Countries in the developing world rely on fossil fuels to generate economic growth. If these more economically developed countries fail to take the needs of the developing world into consideration, large swaths of the globe will fall into poverty. Clearly such an approach is not ethical. Developed countries must continue to develop renewable energy worldwide while simultaneously investing in fossil fuel projects abroad as the necessary infrastructure for renewable energy systems are designed, tested, and constructed – only then can the world move on from fossil fuels in a safe, effective, and ethical way.

Fall 2022 Weekly News Profile

How Climate Change Intensified Hurricane Ian

Jennah Saqib October 3, 2022 Climate Change Environmental Engineering Hurricane Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian has already devastated Cuba and Florida, and will soon reach the coastline of North and South Carolina. The storm intensified rapidly in a very short period of time and has been fueled by rising ocean temperatures due to climate change. This increased storm intensity has been predicted for years, and the U.S.’s preparation efforts and response to climate change will impact millions of lives.

Fall 2022 Weekly News Profile

How California’s Heat Wave Almost Broke the State’s Power Grid

Sabrina Sy September 12, 2022 Climate Change Energy Environmental Engineering heat wave Power Grid

A historic heat wave in California has led to high demand for energy usage this past week, but officials have urged millions of residents to turn up their thermostats and shut off their appliances to prevent overwhelming the power grid. However, lawmakers and regulators at the forefront of the state’s green energy initiatives are also feeling the heat.

Spring 2022 Weekly News Profile

Climate Change Concerns May Be Getting Worse

Jackie Finnemeyer May 1, 2022 Climate Change CO2 Disease Environment virus transmission

Climate change has long been underway, but new research has shown that the known effects of climate change may be expanding to include an increase in infectious disease. Are we able to curb the severity of these consequences before it’s too late?

Volume 5 Issue 3 Winter 2022

Nature is Not a Means to an End: Applying Environmental Ethics to Desalination

Audrey Kono February 17, 2022 Climate Change Desalination Environmental Ethics Oceans Water Scarcity

Global water demand is rising, but our water supplies are decreasing. Desalination offers an unconventional source of fresh water to meet the needs of the world’s growing population. However, the process harms marine organisms and their natural environments, and exacerbates the threat of climate change. Examination of environmental ethics suggests that prioritizing concerns about environmental and community health is vital to the successful establishment and operation of desalination plants.

Volume 5 Issue 3 Winter 2022

The Ethical Implications of Climate Change and Future Inequality We Can’t Ignore

Amber Chow February 17, 2022 Climate Change Environmental Ethics Sustainability

The impacts of climate change will disproportionately impact disadvantaged groups on regional, national, and international scales. The skewed vulnerabilities that arise from exposure to natural disasters, susceptibility to damage, and community ability to recover fuel the need to examine the ethical implications of producing greenhouse gas emissions in bulk for luxury purposes. As engineers are the creators of industrial processes, the responsibility an engineer holds towards themselves, the community they serve, and the future must be displayed through accountability for the cumulative impacts of each action.

Podcast

Featured Spring 2023 VCE Podcast

Electric Vehicles: Climate Saver?

VCE January 31, 2023

Hosts Maya and Josh discuss the ethics of lithium battery mining and electric vehicle use with a panel of engineering essayists.

Fall 2022 VCE Podcast

Predictive Policing

VCE October 31, 2022

In this episode, the Viterbi Conversations in Ethics team explores the ethics behind predictive policing.

Fall 2022 VCE Podcast

Clean Energy

VCE October 31, 2022

In this episode, the Viterbi Conversations in Ethics team explores the ethics behind clean energy.

Fall 2022 VCE Podcast

Cryptocurrency

VCE October 24, 2022

In this episode, the Viterbi Conversations in Ethics team explores the ethics behind cryptocurrency.

Fall 2022 VCE Podcast

Autonomous Vehicles

VCE October 24, 2022

In this episode, the Viterbi Conversations in Ethics team explores the ethics behind autonomous vehicles.

Grand Challenges Special Issue

Featured Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

Redefining Societal Progress for Engineers

Natasha Singh March 29, 2023

Dr. Erin Cech’s critique of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges focuses heavily on the pitfalls of technological determinism. This paper supports Cech’s argument through a discussion of current examples of the consequences of technological determinism, such as the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements, medication accessibility, and facial recognition technology. Though the consequences of a zealous engineering mentality are commonplace in our society, there are also current examples of tech companies neglecting to develop technology due to its possible negative consequences.

Featured Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

How the Technical Sciences and the Social Sciences Should Go Hand-in-Hand

Charles Liu March 29, 2023

The fourteen Grand Challenges presented by the National Academy of Engineers (NAE) fail to involve ethics as a part of the solution to these issues. Traditionally, engineers have kept their work separate from its societal implications. Engineers and their non-technical counterparts have an obligation to view all technical solutions under the moral lens of ethicists and futurists. Going forward, engineers must be aware of their limits and work with experts outside of their fields to develop solutions that will be cognizant of society as a whole.

Featured Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

The Lies We Tell to Inspire: Responding to the Engineering Double Standard

Shub Gaur March 29, 2023

The National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges are critiqued by Dr. Erin Cech for what she describes as a double standard in engineering. Though Cech rightly discusses a lack of accountability and acknowledgement within the profession, her argument lacks nuance. The Grand Challenges were ultimately a promotional tool meant to inspire the next generation of engineers, yet Cech holds them to a standard of being professional rules and guidelines. This paper will discuss the distinctions that Cech’s argument lacks, including placing an unreasonable amount of responsibility on engineers and overstating their influence.

Featured Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

The Grand Challenges: Authorial Particularism and a Lost Opportunity for an Equitable Society

Huzaifa Aslam March 29, 2023

The fourteen Grand Challenges were developed by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in an effort to expose future generations to the wide range of innovation and technology that they could one day take part in. As detailed by the Challenges’ creators, the list includes challenges that are most significant to our current world. Dr. Erin Cech’s critique of the Grand Challenges is that a lack of diversity in the panel of engineering experts led to a lack of oversight into issues that are actually pertinent to developing nations. Cech’s argument that the Grand Challenges are a missed opportunity for social justice holds validity, but her mischaracterization of the lack of diversity requires further consideration.

Weekly News Profile

Spring 2023 Weekly News Profile

The Influence of Climate Change on the Pros and Cons of California’s Wet Season

Jennah Saqib April 25, 2023

Spring 2023 Weekly News Profile

Abortion Pill Rulings Leave the FDA in Political Crossfire

Kaylee Tseng April 17, 2023

This month, FDA approval of mifepristone, a key drug used for medication abortion, has been the subject of several federal rulings. Representatives of the FDA and private drug companies have spoken out against the motion to overrule FDA approval, citing extensive safety data. Depending on the decision from the Supreme Court, these rulings could set a new precedent allowing federal courts to overturn FDA approval.

Spring 2023 Weekly News Profile

Ciao-GPT

Janessi Diaz April 10, 2023

In today’s world we are surrounded by the myriad applications of artificial intelligence (AI). Though it is capable of some incredible things, it can also be very dangerous without regulation. Leading AI developers have published an open letter warning against the continued development of powerful AI, but will the world heed this warning?

Spring 2023 Weekly News Profile

Engineering Alternatives to Fast Fashion

Sabrina Sy April 3, 2023

In a world of fleeting trends and viral fashion sensations, companies and consumers alike have contributed to massive textile waste that has created irreparable environmental damage. Engineers have been working to combat these issues, but as new and innovative solutions are being developed, the question still remains: how can we balance affordability and ethical consumption in the pursuit of the next big fashion trend?