Philosopher turns video lens toward ‘lab’ of climate
Ben Hale doesn’t do “air quotes” when he uses the word “laboratory” to describe his Committee on Environmental Thought, or ComET, but he does laugh a little.
Ben Hale, assistant professor of philosophy and environmental studies at the
But the committee doesn’t need a physical laboratory to accomplish its mission of engaging “in environmental problem solving, theory and education by presenting our ideas through academic and multimedia outlets, with the hope of engaging philosophy in environmental discourse. We hope to foster deeper thought and reflection on the values espoused by our actions with regard to the natural world.”
And thanks to a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, beginning in the spring of 2013, the Southwestern United States will serve as a different kind of laboratory as Hale and graduate students Alex Lee and Adam Hermans start work on 10 short videos on the ethics of climate change.
The videos will highlight the scientific, policy and human dimensions of regionally important environmental issues, each with a connection to climate change. They’ll introduce ethical questions through various scenarios and concrete cases that include the testimony of stakeholders and visual illustrations of the scientific and philosophical factors in play.
Part of a joint project with the University of Northern Arizona, the videos are ultimately intended for use in college classrooms, Hale says. He hopes the videos will inspire students to think critically about issues related to climate change, rather than offer narrow prescriptions.
“We want them to be provocative,” he says.
The team will ramp up its efforts in the spring with equipment purchases, script writing and planning, then travel throughout Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico for filming. Post-production will take place later in Boulder.
Two videos will serve as primers on ethics and climate ethics. The other eight will focus on specific situations that raise ethical questions. Although the team is still developing ideas for the videos, Hale offers sample topics:
—Should humans seek to relocate pikas—a small alpine mammal—that are being displaced from their “sky islands” because of warming temperatures? Or would that simply create more problems?
—An examination of coal production on Navajo reservations will explore questions of environmental justice.
—The prickly question of water rights revolving around Arizona’s Snow Bowl, a ski resort built on a mountain sacred to the Navajo people.
In addition, the ComET website () features a prototype video of Lee, a Ph.D. student in the environmental studies program, pondering the ethics of eating meat through his experiences learning to become an elk hunter.
“He wanted to understand where food is coming from,” Hale says. “So he investigates the question of vegetarianism by going on an elk hunt. The videos will look something like this, but more polished.”
Each video also will be linked with additional media, such as extended interviews with experts, including many CU-Boulder faculty.
“We’ll be tapping all the resources here at the University of Colorado, talking to experts in the sciences about things like the pika and the pine beetle epidemic. We plan to be a showcase for the CU faculty,” Hale says.