Ethics under climate change - competition

This announcement of an essay competition at Inter-Research, a German-located research group, may be of interest to students:

Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics

Ethics of Climate Change

CALL FOR ESSAYS

Major consequences of climate change are now predictable to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty. Many of these consequences will be experienced within the next 100 years - on time scales relevant to emergency preparedness, medical responses, infrastructure alteration, financial investments, treaty negotiations, etc. These changes will impact the globe, geographically, socially, politically and economically. Leaders of institutions concerned with law, business, medicine, science, sociology, politics and religion will face the brunt of these changes. In the face of these challenges, their actions must be honorable, moral and ethical.

The observation that citizens in poor countries often choose practices that are more environmentally sound than their counterparts in rich countries is a moral and ethical challenge. Clearly, much more can be done at the level of the individual citizen.

To stimulate discussion of these issues, Inter-Research Science Center is sponsoring seven essay contests. The authors of winning essays will receive US $1000.00 and their articles will be published in Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics. The ESEP issue in which these articles appear will be made available online as an Open Access document – anyone with access to the Internet will be able to read it.

There is one contest in each of the following disciplines:

* Economics/Business

* Law

* Medicine

* Environmental sciences

* Engineering

* Philosophy/Religious studies

* Political Science

Essays within these broad subject areas should focus on climate change, and particularly on ethical issues. Please refer to the “Ethics of Climate Change Essay Contest” support document that accompanies this letter, and the “White Paper on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change”

rockethics.psu.edu/climate/whitepaper-intro.htm for background and guidance.

These contests are open to graduate students (post Bachelors) at any certified university or college. Proof of student status (e.g. photocopy of a valid student identification card; letter from thesis advisor) must accompany submitted manuscripts.

Essays can be a maximum of 6000 words (excluding references and Figure legends) and must include the corresponding author’s name, academic institution, street address, telephone number and e-mail address. Multiple authors – who would split the prize evenly - are permitted. All essays must be submitted as digital PDF or WORD files, and should be prepared following the guidelines detailed here:

www.int-res.com/journals/esep/guidelines-for-esep-authors/. Indicate clearly under which discipline your essay falls.

Essays must be submitted – via e-mail to esep-submissions(at)int-res.com - by 2 September 2007. All essays will be reviewed by a panel of experts. The winners will be notified by 30 November 2007. Runner-up essays that pass the peer review process will also be published in ESEP.

Please contact us with any questions, concerns or suggestions and redistribute this call to any colleagues whom you think might be interested. We look forward to reading your submissions!