Folke Günther Environmental ethics …an introduction

Folke Güntherhttp://www.holon.se/folke/

Environmental ethics

…an introduction


Part 1: What is ’Nature’

Part 2: Rules for subsystems

Part 3: What is ’good’ for the ecosystem?

Part 4: Permaculture

Part 5: Ruralisation as permaculture


Part 1

What is ’Nature’


NatureNatureCultureWasteNatureResources

The double Nature

Resource

cupboard

(Unlimited)

waste heap

Nature


NatureCultureWaste

Resources

The double Nature

Combinedcupboard

andwaste heap

Border to N

ature

C


NatureCulture

Where is the border to Nature?

Border to N

ature

Is it on the outside of the house?


NatureCulture

Where is the border to Nature?

Border to N

ature

Will Nature disappear if we put asphalt on it?


Where is the border to Nature?Planet comparison

Venus Earth without life

Mars Earth with life

Carbon dioxide

Nitrogen gas

Oxygen gas

Surface temperature

Surface pressure (bar)

96.5 % 98 % 95 % 0.03 %

3.5 % 1.9 % 2.7 % 79 %

traces 0.0 % 0.13 % 21 %

459 ° 240 °- 340 °

- 53 ° 16 °

90 60 0.0064 1.0


Nature sneaks inEnvironmental services

Earth without life

Earth with life

Carbon dioxide

Nitrogen gas

Oxygen gas

Surface temperature

Surface pressure (bar)

98 % 0.03 %

1.9 % 79 %

0.0 % 21 %

240 °- 340 °

16 °

60 1.0

The life on the living Earth is absolutely crucial for our existence!


NatureCulture

Therefore, this view of Nature is fundamentally wrong!

Border to N

ature


Culture

Instead, this description makes sense

NatureThe culture is a subsystem to Nature

We are always within Nature


Part 2 Culture

Nature


Rules for subsystems


OK, we are a subsystem to Nature

Culture

Nature


- So what?

- Subsystems have to follow certain rules in order to survive


Cell

Assume you are a cell (subsystem) in a body (supersystem)

Body


Cell

The cell receives a lot of free and beneficial services from the body

BodyA nice

temperature: 37°

Good pH: 7,4Sugar for nutrition

Oxygen

Waste removal sevices


To keep all these services, the cell (the subsystem) can only behave in

three fundamentally different ways towards the body (the supersystem)


Cell

Body

+Positive influence

– Negative influence

±0 No influence

123


The cell has a negative influence on its supersystem. It will, for example, develop a

cancer

Survival strategy 1


Cell

Body

By that, the body will be less able to deliver its free services

--

As a survival strategy for the cell, it sucks

Either, the macrophages will find the cancer cell and destroy itOr, the body will die

Survival strategy 1


The cell is perfectly neutral towards its supersystem

It doesn’t cause any harm, neither it does anything that is

useful to the body

Survival strategy 2


Cell

BodyThe capacity of the body to deliver its free services is not affected by the actions of the cell

As a survival strategy for the cell, it is, at least, risky!

The cell is invisible to the body

What will happen if there is a tidying-up drive ?

Survival strategy 2

±0

The cell might be eliminated, but this will not affect the body


The cell does something (little) that makes it useful to the body

Survival strategy 3

This makes it easier for the body to deliver services to the

cell


Cell

BodyBy that, the body will have an increased ability to deliver its free services

+

This is the only reliable survival strategy for the cell

The cell fulfils some function that makes the body more able

It is somewhat better for the body that the cell is there, than not

Survival strategy 3

+

+


This goes for any

subsystem

Survival strategy 3


Organism

EcosystemBy that, the supersystem, it will get increased ability to deliver its free services

+

This is the only reliable survival strategy for any subsystem

The subsystem fulfils some function that makes the supersystem more able

It is somewhat better for the supersystem that the subsystem is there, than not

Survival strategy 3

+

+


This is the principle of the ultimate egoism:

Survival strategy 3

By supporting your supersystem, you promote

your own existence


Part 3

What is ’good’ for the ecosystem?


OK, to be sustainable, it is not enough to eliminate harm. To justify your existence, you also need to be supportive to Nature

- But how could human beings ’support’ Nature?


- If you can make ecosystems work better with humans than without them – then you are a in a fair way into sustainability.

But then you need to understand how ecosystems work


Ecosystem

Exergy consuming processes, ’life’

Ecosystems, like all self-organising processes, thrive on energy with high exergy content

Sunlight with high exergy content

Low temperatureradiation with lowexergy content

The ’life’ processes consume exergy

The energy with consumed exergy content must be expelled, otherwise the system will ’choke’


The Second Law tells us that all processes consume exergy

A corollary of the Second Law is that processes that consume

exergy better will be preferred


Therefore, ecosystems could be expected to change in a way that increase their exergy consuming

capacity

Observations of ecosystem maturation confirms that


Ecosystem maturation

A v a i l a b l e s o l a r e x e r g y

Immature system• Low diversity• Annual plants• Competition• Parasitism• Nutrient leakage• Export• Fast change• Water export by drainage

Mature system• High diversity• Perennial plants• Co-operation• Mutualism• Nutrient circulation• On-site consumption• Slow change• Water export by evaporation

All these changes increase the exergy consumption capacity of the ecosystem


During maturation, ecosystems change in a way that increase

their exergy consuming capacity

The maturation process might need 100 to 10 000 years


What if human beings could aid in this process?


Part 4

Permaculture


A multitude of descriptions exits of permaculture

…but few definitions


Descriptions of permaculture

•The goal is to mimic nature.

•Emphasis is placed on perennial crops. Permaculture retains biological diversity

•Natural plant progression.

• The conscious design and maintenance of cultivated ecosystems which have the diversity, stability & resilience of natural ecosystems. • The harmonious integration of landscape, people & appropriate technologies. • Permaculture is a philosophy and an approach to land use which works with natural rhythms & patterns.

Geoffrey Ian Miller: Ecosystem maturation• High diversity• Perennial plants

• Mutualism

• Slow change

Bill Mollison & Scott Pittman:



A permaculture is a diverse, complex ecosystem where the elements interact in mutually beneficial ways

Anon 84 PD

Permaculture is an integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-perpetuating plant & animal species useful to man

Ecosystem maturation• High diversity• Perennial plants• Co-operation• Mutualism• Nutrient circulation• On-site consumption• Slow change

Permaculture is the harmonious integration of people into the landscape

Permaculture is the conscious design of 'cultivated' ecosystems that have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is a harmonious integration of people into the landscape in such a way that the land grows in richness, productivity and aesthetic beauty.

Patricia DuBose Michael

Washburn TN PDC



Permaculture is the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated systems of food production

• Self-sustaining productive landscapes which, once established, will need the minimum of human intervention. • A permaculture design incorporates a diversity of species & interrelations between species, & allows for the continuous evolution that occurs in Nature. • There is a succession of species each preparing the environment for the next & all moving towards a climax state.


Simon Henderson, Cortez IS, BC

Anon, 84 PD


Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature.

A permaculture is a diverse, complex ecosystem where the elements interact in mutually beneficial ways to produce a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts.

Creating abundant and sustainable human habitats by following nature’s patterns



Anon 84 PD:

Graham Burnett:

Bill Mollison:


Ecosystem maturation• High diversity• Perennial plants• Co-operation• Mutualism• Nutrient circulation• On-site consumption• Slow change• Water export by evaporation

It seem as the descriptions of permaculure all point at the same direction


By that, we could try to make a definition of permaculture, not only a description:

Permaculture is the forthbringing

of maturing ecosystems with humans as promotive parts


With permaculture, the maturation process might be reduced to 10 – 1000 years

The maturation process might normally need 100 to 10 000 years


Thus, the human beings has found a method to make

themselves useful !


By that, permaculture has changed from a nicety to a sustainability necessity

Permaculture is the forthbringing of maturing ecosystems with humans as promotive parts


Part 5

Permaculture in the grand scale

Ruralisation


The eco-unit, a small population maintained by a permacultural

agricultureBalanced agriculture

Providing most of the human foodand all of the animal fodder

Functional size, population about 200 Area: 50 ha for 200 inhabitants

• High diversity• Perennial plants• Co-operation• Nutrient circulation• On-site consumption

Nutrient reclaimLandscape diversityPredator habitatLee – plantingBiomass production

Open ditches

Nutrients from the settlement is recycled to agricultural land


The eco-unit

Biological greywater treatment plant (wetpark)Clean water is returned to

the households

• High diversity• Perennial plants• Co-operation• Mutualism• Nutrient circulation• On-site consumption• Water export by evaporation


# The rules are: You can imagine the most ridiculous things But you have to render a statement of the effects

# A scenario is an imagination made by a scientist

The ruralisation scenario


The ruralisation scenario – start point

In this scenario, the following is assumed:

4. They decide that, instead of building new houses on the same place where the old ones were torn down, they will build eco-units in the periphery of the town.

At start point, the centre of the municipality has a population of 33 000The periphery: 3 000 1. The city is inhabited by decision-makers who have the

capacity to make far-sighted and strategic decisions

3. Furthermore, they understand that the city is not static, but dynamic. Old houses are torn down and new are built. (The average life-time for a house is supposed to be 60 years, which gives the city a rate of change of 1,6%)

2. They have the same knowledge of limiting resources, ecology and the rules for long-term survival as you.


Ruralisation – after 12 years

The municipality center: 24 000The periphery : 12 000

Groups of four Eco-unitsEach group is inhabited by 800 people

Local parks replacing the old houses



The municipality : 12 000The periphery : 24 000

5 600 persons

Reversed ditching:Underground streams are brought to the surface



In the end of the ruralisation process: The municipality : 3 000The periphery : 36 000

Area with 5,600 inhabitants in eco-unitsPopulation density closing to 500/km2

… and the decision-makers are still there..

• High diversity• Perennial plants• Co-operation• Mutualism• Nutrient circulation• On-site consumption• Slow change• Water export by evaporationBy changing into a more

resilient and less fuel dependent state, the ecological maturity of the area has increased considerably

May be, the human impact on this area has changed from a parasitic to a supportive type

Documents

Folke Günther Environmental ethics …an introduction