Do we need a new e nvironmental ethic for the Anthropocene ?

1. Do we need a new environmental ethic for the Anthropocene? Allen Thompson School of History, Philosophy, and Religion

2. The average global surface temp. during the last 12,000 years (the Holocene) was 15 C. • The last ice age was approx. 5 degrees C cooler than the average temperature thru the Holocene. • Climate change is likely to bring 2 to 5 degrees C increase in average global temp. by 2100. • If it does, our planet will be ecologically unrecognizable. • What sort of environmental ethics would be appropriate for such a world? Experiments in Engaged Ethics Allen Thompson School of History, Philosophy, and Religion

3. If traditional conservation will not be possible, then what shouldreplace “naturalness” in managing parks & protected lands? Experiments in Engaged Ethics Allen Thompson School of History, Philosophy, and Religion

4. What should we do in a new ecological world order of increased novelty characteristic of the Anthropocence? Experiments in Engaged Ethics Allen Thompson School of History, Philosophy, and Religion

5. Ethical AdaptationChanging our normative self-conception • Revisiting ideas about sustainable human development • Why not consider the development of our conception of humanity? • “What should become of us under a new ecological world order?” Our values ought to commit us to a robust understanding of adapting ourselves. • Humanist view of adaptation: “Instead of only attempting to mitigate the impacts of climate change on who we are at present, adaptation means adjusting our conception of who we are to appropriately fit the new global context.” Experiments in Engaged Ethics Allen Thompson School of History, Philosophy, and Religion