Ethics of Energy Technologies Project in Asia and the Pacific: Goals of UNESCO and Partners for Rese

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• Ethics of Energy Technologies Project in Asia
  and the Pacific Goals of UNESCO and Partners for
  Research-Policy Linkages for our Common Future
• Darryl Macer, Ph.D.
• Regional Advisor on Social and Human Sciences in
  Asia and the Pacific,
• RUSHSAP (Regional Unit for Social and Human
  Sciences in Asia and the Pacific), UNESCO
  Bangkok, 920 Sukhumvit Road, Prakanong, Bangkok
  10110, Thailand
• Email d.macer_at_unescobkk.org

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What future do we have?
RUSHSAP

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• Common principles of ethics
• Balancing ideals of
• Doing good / not doing harm
• Individual autonomy / justice to all
• Long heritage seen in ...
• Governance systems of society, religion
• Also applied in modern science ethics

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UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization 192 Member States
education
science
social and human sciences
culture
communication and information
Human rights
Division of Ethics of Science and Technology
Philosophy
Social policy
Since 2002 Ethics as one of the five priorities
of the Organisation
Sports
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How we work

• Three main structuring lines
• "Studying what is" -gt promoting empirical
  research
• "Anticipating what could be" -gt promoting
  philosophical reflection and future-oriented
  studies
• "Determining what should be" -gt developing and
  promoting international standards
• in order to draw up recommendations for policies
  and action.

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UNESCO Ethics of Science and Technology
Mediate between scientific expertise and
policy-making (research-policy linking)
IBC International Bioethics Committee
IGBC Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee
bioethics
Political decision making regarding ethical
issues in the Member States
science ethics
Standard-setting actions
environmental ethics
COMEST World Commission on Ethics of Science
and Technology
Capacity building
Water ethics
Awareness raising
Inter-agency Com
nanotechnology ethics
Infoethics
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RUSHSAP
RUSHSAP was established in 1975 as part of the
decentralization policy of UNESCO. Bangkok is
also the UN regional hub.
UNESCO Bangkok Asia and the Pacific Regional
Bureau for Education
Regional Unit in Social and Human Sciences for
Asia and the Pacific (region covers 47
countries)
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RUSHSAP

• Partnerships
• UNESCO Asia-Pacific School of Ethics
• Goal to bring together many active institutions
  and individuals who are collaborating with the
  Regional Unit in Social and Human Sciences for
  Asia and the Pacific (RUSHSAP) of UNESCO Bangkok,
  in coordination with the Division of Ethics of
  Science and Technology, to meet needs and
  priorities of the region for research and
  activities in ethics of science and technology.
• The School of Ethics aims to increase the
  capacity of integrating sound research into
  policy for each culture across a region of almost
  4 billion people facing many social challenges.
• Members Currently the school includes 25 partner
  institutions and 80 individuals who are involved
  in collaborative research and activities. (In
  addition to IBC and COMEST members). The criteria
  is output based, to recognize those actively
  involved with our UNESCO regional ethics
  programmes.

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• Our common future
• Our planet, our oasis
• The crisis of survival
• A common future

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What and whose agenda for globalization and
internationalisation?
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Ethics of Energy Technologies in Asia-Pacific
projectPartners including Ministry of Energy,
Thailand Ministry of Science Technology,
Thailand National Science Foundations 14
working groups150 members and growing Partners
welcome at Ministry, Institution and Individual
level Meetings, virtual, web-casts Reports with
policy options
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Project description for the UNESCO Bangkok Ethics
of Energy technologies in Asia-Pacific
projectFourteen provisional working groups have
been formed since the launch conference in
September 2007.The aim of the working groups is
to develop dialogue around these particular
issues with a focus on environmental ethics and
human security. Each group will produce a report
that can be used by policy makers, scientists and
researchers to consider the ethical dimensions of
energy policy.Other dialogues and meetings also
held with different groups in various forums.
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Energy is intimately related to our environment
and use of its resources, as well as to almost
every sphere of economic activity. As policy
makers around the world grapple with climate
change, choices about energy generation and
consumption will have a significant impact on
levels of greenhouse gas emissions and on
environmental health, as well as peoples ability
to access energy to heat and cool their homes,
travel, work and enjoy leisure time.
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There are numerous meetings being held on energy
and environment, but how can we open up ethical
and value questions that have often been
neglected. We should have intense discussions
on environmental ethics to produce substantive
cross-cultural and multidisciplinary outputs that
will be relevant for long-term policy making in
countries that face quite different choices.
National self-determination can be maintained,
and personal self-determination, but the results
of discussion can produce important reports.
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Self-determinationIndividual choices and
responsibilityVillage based power versus
centralised powerEnergy self-sufficiency versus
efficiency (e.g biofuels)Industrial development
and centralised power gridsNot in my backyard
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The Asia Pacific region is experiencing the
fastest annual growth in energy demand in the
world and meeting this demand over the next two
decades will be a tremendous challenge. As oil
prices continue to climb, countries face
increasing pressure to articulate their energy
policies and achieve energy security. The ethics
of all energy choices, including fossil fuels,
biofuels, nuclear energy, fuel cells, renewables,
etc., need be considered holistically. How will
energy production affect the environment and
other living organisms? How will rising energy
prices affect the poor? What are our ethical
obligations for consultation with local people?
What are our ethical obligations to future
generations and what vision for the future do we
hold? Do environmental values held in Asian
philosophical and religious traditions affect the
sustainability of our relationships with our
environment?
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Working groups (more members are
welcome)Universalism and environmental
valuesEthical worldviews of natureVisions and
hopes of the futureRepresentation and who
decidesCommunity engagementStakeholder
responsibilitiesEnergy equity and human
securityCost-benefit analysis and economic
constructionsAdoption development of energy
technologies (state of the art
review)Ethical frameworks for research agendas
and policyEducational frameworks for
environmental ethicsNuclear dialoguesEnergy
flow, environment, ethical implications of meat
productionWater ethics and water resource
management
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Universalism and environmental values
Environmental values in the Asia Pacific region
are drawn from a diversity of rich philosophical
and religious heritages. To what extent can
common ground be found within a United Nations
system that seeks to implement universal rights
and dialogue among different values? Is it
appropriate to seek universal or pluralist
environmental values? Is there such a thing as an
Asian environmental ethos that might be the
foundation for building and promoting a more
sustainable economic growth?
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Bioethics for the People by the People
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Ethical worldviews of natureAre there worldviews
inherent in philosophical and religious
traditions of the Asia Pacific that shape ethical
relationships with the natural world? Are these
anthropocentric, biocentric, ecocentric or
cosmocentric worldviews? How do our worldviews
allocate value and meaning to people, plants,
animals and the biosphere? What are the
relationships between such worldviews and actual
decisions made by policymakers or the daily lives
of the people they represent?
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Anthropocentric, biocentric, ecocentric views -
Asian and Pacific culture is more biocentric -
Transition in modern times away from biocentric,
ecocentric or theocentric thinking
- Cultural specific approaches and materials need
to be developed and shared.
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Visions and hopes of the future What is the most
appropriate timescale to consider problems of
environmental ethics years, decades, centuries,
or generations? Is there a common vision of where
we would like society to go beyond MDGs? How to
balance economic growth, quality of life, and
other future aspirations in a holistic vision?
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Representation and who decides What are the
rights of nation states to decide on energy
technologies for their people, when such
decisions may pose an environmental or security
risk to neighboring countries, to the region or
to all countries? What are rights of provinces,
communities and ethnic groups with regards to
energy infrastructure in their geographic area?
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Community engagement How can we engage
communities in the decision-making process? Are
communities being given a chance to articulate
their environmental values? Do communities have
adequate access to information about energy
technologies and their risks and benefits? What
is the role of education in assisting communities
to make decisions about their future? Are women
and young people being engaged? What are the
appropriate stages of an energy project for
community consultation? Is there a trade-off
between adequate consultation time and expedient
implementation of a project? How can we develop
the not in my backyard view when it comes to
large-scale energy infrastructure? How can
community engagement reflect the emerging
paradigm shift from principles of paternalism
through those of informed consent to informed
choice?
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In all societies there is a transition

• Informed choice
• Informed consent
• Paternalism

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Stakeholder responsibilitiesWhat are
stakeholders responsibilities towards the
environment and to future generations? Is a
rights based framework really appropriate for
environmental ethics, when an emphasis on
responsibilities may be more important? When
regional or global consensus cannot be reached,
do countries have a responsibility to do what is
ethically correct, even if no-one else will?
The group will articulate the responsibilities of
scientists, policy makers (funding and
regulation), the public (including consumers and
non-consumers of different products), investors,
companies, institutions, particular interest
groups (e.g. geographically close to a power
plant, occupational groups, faith groups), and
other living organisms, as examples in a
cross-cultural perspective.Chair National
Science Foundation, Sri Lanka
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• Codes of professional behaviour
• International Standards for Ethics and
  Responsibility
• Core traits or virtues related to individual
  behaviour

• Honesty
• Truthfulness
• Respect

• Openness
• Accuracy
• Collaboration

• Fairness
• Conscientiousness
• Loyalty

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• Codes of professional behaviour
• International Standards for Ethics and
  Responsibility
• Core traits or virtues related to the community

• Environmental responsibility
• Socio-economic Development
• Socio-economic Equity
• Scientific Freedom
• Democratic Development

• Social Responsibility
• Sustainable Development
• Social Welfare
• Gender Equality
• Peace
• Human Rights

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Energy equity and human security While energy
generation supports economic growth and a higher
standard of living, it also has financial and
environmental costs. How do we reconcile the
disproportionate consumption of energy by
developed countries with increasing demand for
energy in developing countries, and particularly
across the Asia Pacific region? Is it appropriate
for rich countries to encourage less developed
countries to limit their energy consumption and
shun luxury lifestyles? Is there a way for
developing countries to access the technology and
expertise that permits more efficient energy
generation in the developed world? At the social
level, should governments provide concessions to
make energy more affordable and accessible for
lower-income people? Do government subsidies for
energy run the risk of subsidizing inefficient
use of energy?
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• our common goal
• Human security
• freedom from fear
• freedom from want
• freedom from need
• Protecting the dignity of people is a universally
  agreed goal of the United Nations

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Cost-benefit analysis and economic
constructionsHow can environmental and cultural
values best be incorporated into cost-benefit
analyses for energy projects? What are the real
costs of cheap energy? What are the costs of
any form of energy if we consider the opportunity
costs of infrastructure construction or land
surface area, and total energy costs over the
lifecycle of a product, including waste, disposal
and security?
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Adoption development of energy technologies
(state of the art review) This review of energy
alternatives for local and national scale
projects will focus on the ethical implications
inherent in different research options for energy
production and delivery. It will include
development of innovation in new science and
translational research, diffusion of technology,
and energy diversity. It will also consider
global networking and IT. It will analyze points
of different alternatives.
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Ethical frameworks for research agendas and
policy What criteria do policymakers use in
deciding to adopt energy technologies, and how
are ethical considerations taken into account?
How should policy makers identify and employ the
precautionary principle? How can they ensure
appropriate gender-sensitive aspects in policy
formulation from planning through implementation
and impact assessment, emphasizing that women in
a society are assets in environmental and energy
management?This group will examine the different
understanding of ethical frameworks by looking at
critical ethical issues including codes of
ethics for researchers, societal values, rights
of all participants (stakeholders), rights of
indigenous peoples, religious values, legal
issues and take account of the conclusions of the
specialized working groups above. After a review
of all policies it will analyze the ethical
frameworks inherent in the documents to draw up a
model ethical framework.
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Educational frameworks for environmental
ethicsThis working group will link to ongoing
efforts to develop and test environmental ethics
education materials and strategies with pilot
trials. The topics link to the coverage of all
the above working groups.
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Environmental ethics education starts young
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Nuclear dialogues This group will look at the
particular sensitivities of the nuclear energy
debates from an ethical perspective.Meeting
25-27 July 2008, Hiroshima, Japan at UNITAR.
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Energy flow, environment, and ethical
implications of meat production Meat, as a food,
is a form of energy for humans, but in order to
produce enough meat to satisfy global demand huge
reserves of energy are required in the form of
feed, fertilizers, pharmaceutical production,
transport and refrigeration. This group will
examine the consumption of energy, particularly
fossil fuels, in the meat production industry,
and ethical implications for humans and the
environment.
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Water ethics and water resource managementThe
ethical issues associated with water resource
management, including its uses in energy and
other domains are a priority area in many
countries. There are also issues over equity of
access, ways to conserve water, and privatization
of what many consider to be a common
resource.Meeting 23-24 October, Beijing, China
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Asia-Arab Philosophical Dialogues Coordinated by
UNESCO Bangkok and UNESCO Rabat officesMeetings
in Paris, Seoul, Rabat so far.Three working
groups in the project1) Challenges of
globalization to philosophy and democracy2)
Philosophy facing the challenges of modern
technology3) The roles of philosophy in war and
peace.We hope to publish volumes of papers that
will be useful resources for philosophy teaching
on these topics and to include papers from
individual philosophers as well as papers the
result of dialogue between members of the groups.
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Asia-Arab Philosophical Dialogues Forthcoming
Meetingsfuture working group meetings in
personfor 1-2 days in Seoul, Korea at the time
of the World Congress of Philosophy (30 July - 5
August), 2-3 days meeting in Hiroshima, Japan
25-27 July, 2008. We also envision holding a
dialogue meeting in South-east Asia in January
2009. We are also open to suggestions of
cooperation with other networks, and hosts to
hold meetings of working groups. We also hope to
use modern communication technology to enable
dialogue.
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• International Standards for Bioethics
• UNESCO General Conference 1997 and the
• UN General Assembly 1998
• Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and
  Human Rights
• UNESCO General Conference 2003
• International Declaration on Human Genetic Data
• UNESCO General Conference 2005
• Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human
  Rights

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1997
2003
2005
Bioethics standard-setting actions
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Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human
Rights

• Human dignity and human rights
• Benefit and harm
• Autonomy and individual responsibility
• Consent
• Persons without the capacity to consent
• Respect for human vulnerability and personal
  integrity
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Equality, justice and equity
• Non-discrimination and non-stigmatization
• Respect for cultural diversity and pluralism
• Solidarity and cooperation
• Social responsibility and health
• Sharing of benefits
• Protecting future generations
• Protection of the environment, the biosphere and
  biodiversity

Preamble General provisions aims scope Principle
s Application of the principles Promotion of the
declaration Final provisions
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Challenges to make ethics relevant
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Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human
Rights Article 14 Social Responsibility and
Healtha) The promotion of health and social
development for their people is a central purpose
of governments, that all sectors of society
share.b) Taking into account that the enjoyment
of the highest standard of health care is one of
the fundamental rights of every human being
without distinction of race, religion, political
belief, economic or social condition, progress in
science and technology should advance(i) access
to quality health care and essential medicines,
including especially for the health of women and
children, because health is essential to life
itself and must be considered as a social and
human good(ii) access to adequate nutrition and
water(iii) improvement of living conditions and
the environment(iv) elimination of the
marginalization and the exclusion of persons on
the basis of any grounds and(v) reduction of
poverty and illiteracy.
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• Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human
  Rights
• Article 15 - Sharing of Benefits
• 1. Benefits resulting from any scientific
  research and its applications should be shared
  with society as a whole and within the
  international community, in particular with
  developing countries. In giving effect to this
  principle, benefits may take any of the following
  forms Special and sustainable assistance to, and
  acknowledgement of, the persons and groups that
  have taken part in the research
• (a) Access to quality health care
• (b) Provision of new diagnostic and therapeutic
  modalities or products stemming from research
• (c) Support for health services
• (d) Access to scientific and technological
  knowledge
• (e) Capacity-building facilities for research
  purposes
• (f) Other forms of benefit consistent with the
  principles set out in this Declaration.
• 2. Benefits should not constitute improper
  inducements to participate in research.

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UNESCO Bangkok websitehttp//www.unescobkk.org/r
ushsapsoon to have individual webpages for each
groupYahoo groupunesco_eet_at_yahoogroups.com
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