Environmental Ethics Archives - Viterbi Conversations in Ethics

Fall 2022 Volume 6 Issue 2

Why the Keystone XL Pipeline was Unethical

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rights and justice ethics in order to explain why the Keystone XL Pipeline extension was unethical and why its permit was revoked by the Biden Administration in 2021.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.

Spring 2022 Volume 6 Issue 1

The Costs of Megaprojects: An Analysis of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

Helen Situ May 4, 2022 Environmental Ethics Hong King-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge megaprojects Utilitarianism

Megaprojects are large scale investment projects, many of which are internationally famous, such as Australia’s Sydney Opera House, SpaceX’s program to colonize Mars, and the Panama Canal. Megaprojects garner a high level of excitement — and justly so, as they hold cultural, economic, and social significance. However, the questionable ethics of megaprojects needs to be examined as they increasingly become the dominant mode of infrastructure construction.

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

Fall 2023 Featured Weekly News Profile

McFlurries Aid in the Fight for the Right to Repair

Janessi Diaz September 27, 2023

McDonald’s is notorious for their broken McFlurry machines, though the reason behind their malfunctioning is surprising. The manufacturers of these machines have forbidden McDonald’s from outsourcing repairs, but purposely make their machines fragile because they make millions off of fixing them. This highlights a greater issue in the engineering community: the fight for the right to repair. Consumers should not be forced to turn to original manufacturers to repair their products. Due to its high-profile nature, McFlurry machines may finally push Congress to pass the bill that would secure this right once and for all.

Spring 2023 Weekly News Profile

The Role of Bias in Scientific Research

Jennah Saqib September 22, 2023

The world is buzzing once again with supposed evidence of alien life. While under oath, Jaime Mausson presented two bodies he claims are of extraterrestrial origin to the Mexican Congress. However, experts are skeptical of his findings, claiming they have no real scientific basis. This case brings to question the role of bias in scientific research and how the resulting spread of misinformation can cross the line into becoming harmful.

Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

How the WGA Strike Could Accelerate AI Regulation

Kaylee Tseng September 11, 2023

As the WGA and SAG-AFTRA continue to strike, AI has become a significant sticking point for studios and unions. For writers, AI text generation could exacerbate existing low wages and enable studios to hire fewer writers. For actors, AI greatly accelerates digital duplicate technology, jeopardizing actors’ rights to their own image and potentially lowering their rehire rate. Both of these instances have unclear legal or corporate guidelines, especially in the United States. However, a strike resolution may set a new precedent for AI regulation in creative industries.

Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

Should We Hit the Brakes on Autonomous Vehicles?

Jackie Finnemeyer September 5, 2023

Driverless vehicles have become commonplace in several major cities in the United States. Though the technology has come a long way, incidents involving autonomous vehicles are not uncommon. As many self-driving car companies prepare to expand, residents and workers in test cities are feeling frustrated about being forced to share the road with this technology.

Summer 2023 Weekly News Profile

Engineering Cleats Just for Women

Janessi Diaz August 9, 2023

The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicked off earlier this month, but many household names are missing from the pitch. Many players have been ruled out due to serious knee injuries. Experts say ACL injuries may plague female soccer players frequently due to ineffective footwear. Historically, women’s soccer cleats have been designed for men and then re-dressed to appeal to women. Recently, footwear engineers have come together to remedy this issue; they have finally begun designing cleats for female athletes.