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Chapter 14 –- The Environment (pp. 513 - 564)
Chapter 14 starts with a case study (pp. 513 - 532). This long case study concerns the possibility of
putting an oil pipeline in the African nations of Chad and Cameroon. It discusses the involvement of
ExxonMobil as well as the World Bank.
Article: “Scarcity or Abundance?” by Julian L. Simon (pp. 532 - 542)
In this article, Simon is incredibly upbeat about everything in the human condition. He is certainly the
Article: “A Boat for Thoreau” by William McDonough (pp. 548 - 564)
In looking at the consumption in contemporary society, McDonough feels that we are engaged in
“intergenerational remote tyranny.” By this, he means we are acting tyrannically toward future
generations. We are using their resources with no regard for them and we are poisoning them in the
future with our pollution. He believes that we can design a world that is not only sustainable but
restorative, and that we have the moral obligation to do so.
Teaching Hints: A class debate between those who believe we are on the verge of a cataclysmic
man-made global warming, and those who believe Julian L. Simon’s position may be a good way to
incite activity in the classroom.
Perhaps a research assignment on the environmental and economic impact of the Trans-Alaska
pipeline might be interesting in considering the pipeline for Chad and Cameroon.
Discussion Questions
1. The production of oil always involves some risk of a spill. Petroleum spills generally have
severe environmental consequences. Your state places a referendum on the ballot outlawing
all exploration for petroleum. How would you vote on this proposal? Why?
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2. You are told you are likely to live to 110 years old and the Social Security system is likely to
go bankrupt by the time you are 85. What thoughts cross your mind as a result of this double
dose of news?
3. You have driven over 100,000 miles in your lifetime. This has used approximately 5,000
gallons of gasoline. Your best friend informs you that you are burning resources now and your
grandchildren will therefore not get to use these resources, and that you are therefore being
unfair to your as yet unconceived progeny. What do you think your friend’s argument? Can
you propose any counter arguments, and if so, what would they be?
Resources for further study -- Film, Literature, and the Web:
Environmental Defense Fund, “The World Bank Group,” September 1, 2004.
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?ContentID=2464 (July 23, 2007)
An Inconvenient Truth. Documentary; Dir. Davis Guggenheim, Perfs. Al Gore, Billy West II,
Paramount Pictures, 2006.
"Engineering and Environment Case Studies" Online Ethics Center for Engineering. 4/7/2006,
5:25:48 PM. National Academy of Engineering Accessed: Monday, July 23, 2007
http://onlineethics.org/CMS/enviro/EECS.aspx
