Current news and politics is full of concern about the environment, particularly

Question

Current news and politics is full of concern about the environment, particularly as it is related to oil use and the auto industry. There are a number of ethical considerations that arise out of these issues. Please be sure to answer ALL of the following questions:

    Some propose that these concerns could be alleviated if our use of cars was limited by increased gasoline taxes--if gas is more expensive, we will use less of it and, as a beneficial by-product, improve the environment. What do you think of this proposal and what theory would support your position? Are there injustices built into such measures?

    What about the possibility that the US auto industry, encouraged by its partial owner, the US government, will no longer produce large gas guzzlers (think Hummer) or will subsidize hybrid or green cars? Is it ethical for the government to essentially prevent a US company from producing a legal good or encourage a company to produce one good over another? What ethical theory supports your position?

    What are the possible ethical considerations of banning or restricting the import of cars that do not meet certain emission standards? Volkswagen was recently embroiled in a major business disaster when it was discovered that software engineers had inserted a "fix" in their cars that was designed to fool emission tests. While illegal, was that unethical?

    Finally, the world today is full of news about fracking, the process by which a high volume of liquid is pumped into the ground to fracture rock and extract natural gas. What are the ethical considerations of either permitting or prohibiting property owners from using their property in this manner?

Explanation / Answer

§ Some propose that these concerns could be alleviated if our use of cars was limited by increased gasoline taxes--if gas is more expensive, we will use less of it and, as a beneficial by-product, improve the environment. What do you think of this proposal and what theory would support your position? Are there injustices built into such measures?

I don’t think thatimposing higher taxes on gasoline, will stop people from using cars in order to diminish pollution. People are too dependent of their automobile and raising prices is not going to stop them from driving their cars. At least not enough to make a difference on the environment.   This concept will only affect the pockets of the general public and not the big corporations. Higher gasoline prices immediately affect the price of all goods and services, therefore it wouldn’t just be the price of the gas that would go up, but also the prices of all other necessities. Consumers do have a moral responsibility to care for the environment and we have to find ways to contribute. But by making things more difficult for us it is not going to help us focus on the bigger problem, which pollution. We as consumers can do a lot to help by pressuring the big corporations to do the right thing, and by boycotting companies that we know are repeat offenders.    The theory of utilitarianism would support this decision, because raising taxes on gas would promote more bad than good results.

§ What about the possibility that the US auto industry, encouraged by its partial owner, the US government, will no longer produce large gas guzzlers (think Hummer) or will subsidize hybrid or green cars? Is it ethical for the government to essentially prevent a US company from producing a legal good or encourage a company to produce one good over another? What ethical theory supports your position?

I think it is important for the government to promote and encourage business owners to produce products that are safe for the environment. It is the government responsibility to protect the people and the environment, so encouraging if not demanding safer products for both the people and the environment is the government’s duty. Rawls theory of social justice applies perfectly to this concept. It does not matter how many people is going to affect, the government should just know that having a safe environment is good without thinking about numbers, just thinking about the correct ethical thing to do…

§ What are the possible ethical considerations of banning or restricting the import of cars that do not meet certain emission standards? Volkswagen was recently embroiled in a major business disaster when it was discovered that software engineers had inserted a "fix" in their cars that was designed to fool emission tests. While illegal, was that unethical?

I think that Volkswagen acted not only illegally, but their actions were also unethical. The consumer put their faith in your product thinking that they were buying a car that would be environmentally safe and Volkswagen decided to ignore their moral obligation not just to the consumer, but also to the government that allowed them to sell their product. It is the government’s ethical responsibility to make sure that it penalizes companies like this when they break the rules.

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