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314Cairns: Eco-Ethics and Sustainability EthicsNumerous books have been produced recently on global climate change, as well as much informationin professional journals and internet sites of the UN, etc. (e.g. Olson 2004), and Californiaeven has an interfaith religious covenent to reduce global warming. 7 The reason for concern is thattrends indicate a worsening of the situation. The justification for cautious optimism is that there areremedial measures available with existing technology. This possibility, together with a changedenergy policy in the US and other nations that consume much fossil fuel, should markedly reducethe risk of catastrophic climate change while simultaneously increasing the prospects for sustainableuse of the planet.As was the case for the previous examples, the primary eco-ethical issues are quite clear: (1) adeliberate, systematic, and orderly reduction in the unsustainable practices that have adverseeffects upon global climate and especially activities that cause global warming; (2) appropriateremedial measures can be taken at all these levels of organization (individuals, regions, nations,and planet), with a strong commitment to eco-ethics at all of these levels; (3) precautionary measuresto prevent major global climate change are major eco-ethical issues; ‘death’ of the sun andbeing struck by a sizable object from outer space would both be major global catastrophes, but,since humankind does not at present have proven technologies to cope with these events, they arenot eco-ethical issues; (4) cost to society of the complex, multivariate problem of global warming;since the indirect costs of some goods and services are far greater than the price fixed by the marketplace,economics will not prevent ecological and human health catastrophes, although econethics8 might do so; eco-ethics is more likely to value both ecosystem services and natural capitalproperly and place long-term sustainability above short-term profits and politics.It is important to recognize that econ-ethics and eco-ethics are not mutually exclusive. Econethicsis homocentric (e.g. Daly 2003) and eco-ethics is ecocentric. Both are essential to sustainableuse of the planet. The two are interactive as the efforts to market natural capitalismdemonstrate (e.g. Daily & Ellison 2002).OverpopulationSustainable use of the planet is based on the assumption that one species, Homo sapiens, canlive in such a way that it can persist on the planet indefinitely. Despite this expectation, unsustainablepractices are increasing at an alarming rate and are propelled by a human population growthof 74 million each year, unprecedented economic growth (driven by unprecedented consumption),and concomitant reduction in natural capital (natural systems). The increasing size of humankind’secological footprint is already destroying habitats and species and threatening others. Theinevitable consequence is shrinking per capita availability of resources for both humans and otherspecies. The planet’s ecological life support system is being severely damaged at a time when it ismost needed. Grain production (which supplies food calories, both directly and indirectly), upon7 See also Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2001) Climate change: impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability(summary for policy makers), available online at www.ipcc.ch/pub/wg2SPMfinal.pdf; EnvironmentalNews Service, Spiritual, scientific leaders unite in global warming action plea. 21 May 2004, availableonline at www.keepmedia.com/ShowItemDetails.do?itemID=472683&extID=10030&oliID-226; CaliforniaInterfaith Power & Light, Congregational covenant, available online at www.interfaithpower.org/covenant.pdf; and Environmental News Service, Bank of America maps new climate change, forest policies.18 May 2004, available online at www.forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=317928 Econ-ethics is defined by Professor Otto Kinne in Ethics in Environmental Science and Politics, ESEP 2002,p. 88–89