The increased rationalisation of biotechnological engineering leads to a decontextualised production process of many well-known flavours and fragrances, such as vanillin, patchouli and stevia. A range of sophisticated production pathways decouples the production of ingredients from the original plant. This so-called biomanufacturing is fueled by technologies such large scale sequencing and metabolic engineering which allow for the precise design of micro-organisms.

In climate ethics, many have worried about the potential injustices arising from large-scale implementation of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). To date, most of this discussion has focused on one particular form of CDR, the bioenergy-based BECCS technique. However, the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report estimates that ‘nature-based’ forms of CDR such as afforestation and reforestation, soil carbon sequestration, and agroforestry have significant removal potentials, as well as potential co-benefits for local communities and biodiversity.

AI is being developed for many applications in the livestock industry to control the environmental impact of livestock and reduce inefficiency in the sector while also responding to some of the ethical concerns raised earlier about the welfare of farm animals (Bao & Xie, 2022).

In quantum technologies such as quantum computing, quantum sensing and quantum communication, engineers are working towards ingenious ways in which quantum states can be created, manipulated, exploited, and read out. However, how to comprehend the nature of such quantum states physically and metaphysically is far from obvious. With this development of quantum technologies gaining traction in recent decades, an argument can be made for the renewed importance of working towards a better understanding of both the physical and conceptual reality upon which these technologies rest.

As quantum technologies (QT) continue to progress and mature, the need to establish an ethical framework for their development becomes increasingly apparent. This urgency is emphasized by QT's significant geopolitical and corporate value, with global actors increasingly investing considerable resources into the technology.

In this contribution, I set out an argument for an approach to quantum ethics that takes into account the importance of the attribution of ‘meaning’ to a new technology (cf. Grunwald, 2017). Ethical debates and debates about responsibility emerge from the intertwining of scientific expectations or projections and their possible social meanings. Meanings can be considered a form of intervention; while they do not necessarily fix the meaning of the technology under discussion, they can still have real impact on how debates are carried out.

In this contribution I argue that non-physicist expert citizens play an active role in giving meaning to quantum technologies. 

In this talk I discuss how a capabilities approach (CA) can inform the deployment of carbon removal techniques (CDR) within climate mitigation projects as well as the broader sustainable development context. Specifically, CDR raises ethical concerns, especially issues of justice. I argue that the CA can offer a more accurate account of people’s quality of life in CDR implementation, expanding the discussion beyond the traditional distributive justice paradigm. Moreover, the CA can integrate a focus on recognition of human as well as non-human entities affected by CDR deployment.

Socially disruptive technologies impact people differently. One’s social position, for example, may play a significant role in the way a disruptive technology has either positive or negative impact on one’s abilities. In this talk, I propose thinking in terms of capabilities as a metric for the moral assessment of equality of impact of socially disruptive technology on people’s capabilities.

This presentation is part of the panel Capabilities and transdisciplinarity in the ethics of technology

This workshop aimed to collect shared dilemmas, struggles and questions while operationalizing the CA in individual research. By discovering common experiences within different disciplines and sketching the outlines for generalised operational approaches, we aim to arrive at a shared methodology that can be useful across various disciplines aiming to develop technologies and related policies just and inclusively. Cases used for input include urban planning, global value chains and health technologies.

"Destination Earth", or in short "DestinE" is a project of the European Commission that aims to develop of a Digital Twin of planet Earth: a highly accurate data-driven digital representation that is expected to monitor and predict the interaction between natural phenomena and human activity. This Digital Twin is expected to inform and support Europe's environmental governance. However, every representation reflects a certain approach to reality, thereby giving certain actors power over claims to reality, materialising world-views, and opening up certain futures, while closing off others.

In our quest for human happiness and well-being we have taken the needs and wants of one biological species as the only frame of reference for a place that is inhabited by millions of species. Our super ability to collaborate, the strict or absolute separation between us and nature (Lent, 2022) and the dominance of the reductionist way of thinking have already closed off a pathway where we would focus on abundance and equality.

Scientists are adopting genetics and genomics technologies for wide-ranging conservation objectives, ranging from biodiversity monitoring, translocations, assisted evolution, gene drives and de-extinction. These data-driven technologies rely on the mass digitization of biodiversity data across the world and constitute the Fourth Paradigm of biodiversity science. While enhancing human understanding of biodiversity loss and capacities to deal with it, technologies have large ethical implications (Daño & Prato, 2019). 

Global warming and the consequent ecological crisis driving soil degradation and biodiversity loss are making painfully clear our lack of understanding and appreciation of the environmental costs of technological modernization. The current ecological predicament has encouraged the promotion of sustainable development and the rise of nature-based technologies and ecological design practices.