Ethical careers for geologists?

Dr. Tim Foxon

Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR),

and Imperial College, LondonPresentation to Sedgwick Club, 02/02/04

Outline

• What does SGR do?

• What are the major concerns relating to sustainability and climate change?

• Career choices - what to think about and what are the alternatives?

• Personal empowerment

• Getting the right advice

Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR), U.K.

• Network of concerned scientists• Promote socially responsible and ethical

use of science and technology

- e.g. Climate Train to Kyoto• Professional support

- e.g. Ethics guide and mentoring• Web site:

www.sgr.org.uk

Ethical Careers Guide and Briefings

• Produced by SGR• Covers a range of issues to help make

informed ethical choices about careers in science and technology

• Contributors include Joseph Rotblat and Tim Berners-Lee

• More detailed briefings, including climate change and clean technologies

Science and technology

• Science and technology are powerful forces for understanding and transforming our world

• Power brings responsibility:– the more that we are able to do, the more

that we should be concerned with the consequences of our actions

Sustainable Development

• Principles agreed at Rio Earth Summit in 1992

• Re-affirmed at Johannesburg in 2002• ‘A better quality of life for everyone, now

and for generations to come’– meeting social needs– protecting the environment– enabling economic development

Key issues

• Climate Change:– IPCC predicts between 1.5 °C and 4.5 °C rise

in mean global temperature by 2100– sea level rise, increased extreme events

• Loss of biodiversity and habitats• Risks created by new technologies• Lack of democratic control• Need for development in poorer countries

Ecological footprint of nations

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Footprint(ha/capita)

Sustainability target

• Need to increase in efficiency by which we create value per unit of resource used by a Factor of 10

• UK Energy White Paper sets a goal of reducing UK CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050

Climate Change solutions

• Increase efficiency of providing energy services at each stage in the chain– production, distribution, conversion, end-use

• Decarbonisation of primary fuel sources– Switch to lower carbon fossil fuels, e.g. gas

instead of coal or oil– Capture and sequester carbon emissions– Development of renewable energy sources, e.g.

wind, solar, biomass, geothermal

Reducing CO2 emissions by 2050

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050

Year

MtC

Baseline 1

Baseline 2

Incl.Energy Efficiency

Incl.Renewables

Incl.CO2 Sequestration

Incl.Hydrogen

RCEP target60% from 1997

"Low Carbon Economy"

Baseline 1 Baseline 2

Source: The Carbon Trust

Technological change is not enough

• Technological change alone will not be sufficient to achieve sustainability

• Will also need political and institutional change

• ‘Take-back’ of efficiency gains in increased consumption

• Need move towards ‘sufficiency’ in consumption as well as efficiency

What should we do?

• No shortage of socially useful things to do

• However, current socio-economic systems give higher rewards to those who act to maintain the current system

• ‘Lock-in’ of technologies and institutions

Four basic steps

1. Educate yourself about wider issues

2. Decide where we stand - and what you might do if your views were compromised

3. Try to choose a career path consistent with your views

4. Get support - from colleagues, mentors, networks, other organisations

Be aware of incremental drift

• One scientist we interviewed noted:– “You will rarely be faced with a big ethical

dilemma in work. What is more likely is a series of very small steps which together add up to something much larger - which is why one constantly has to think about what one is doing”

Employment opportunities

• Does the employer have an environment or sustainability policy?

• What are the life cycle impacts of the product or service provided?

• What are the targets and opportunities for reducing environmental impacts?

Options for geologists

• Work for change within a large company

• Work for a company which you feel is making a positive contribution

• Work for change from within government, consultancies, NGOs, media, etc.

• Exert influence by researching and teaching

Working for a large company

• Working to improve environmental efficiency

• Working for, e.g. the renewables division of a large company

• Using your position to try to influence the company’s position

• Possible, but could be very frustrating, and long term benefits not clear

Working for a ‘responsible’ company

• Need to judge attitude and commitment of the company

• Opportunity to work with like-minded people and feel like you’re making a difference

• May also involve compromises in certain areas

Working for government, consultancies media, NGOs, etc

• Opportunities to exert influence

• Difficulties– large organisations may have their own

biases and agendas– small organisations may be more radical,

but have less power

Researching and teaching

• More opportunities to understand what is going on and set your own agenda

• Influence the next generation

• Some influence on decision-makers but no power!

Big or small?

• Think about choosing to work for a smaller, more ethically oriented company - or even about starting your own!

• Transferable skills– basic knowledge and understanding of

science and engineering are transferable to a wide range of potential jobs

Get support

• Talk to your colleagues

• Talk to others with experience of different jobs or roles

• Use the careers service

• Network with like-minded people - through professional organisations, trade unions, organisations like SGR

Summary

• Social and environmental concerns are real and likely to become increasingly influential

• Many opportunities for a more ethical careers, but may involve hard choices

• You can make a difference - good luck!