Questioning the Earth

1
Questioning the Earths Value

• A ground-rent approach proposing a carbon sink
  industry
• Michael Eldred, Cologne
• Prepared for 1st Intnl. Conference on Climate
  Philosophy, University of South Florida, 14-16
  Sept. 2006
• Version 1.0 June 2006, Version 2.0 May 2008

2
Questioning the Earths Value

• Putting the earths value into question means
  asking how the earth can have a value.
• In a world of globalized markets, value cannot be
  separated from market-value.
• A market-value for the earth can only be made
  plausible by reviving and rethinking the category
  of ground-rent in political economy.

3
Questioning the Earths Value

• Reconsidering the category of ground-rent
  requires a radical rethinking of the category of
  value inherited from classical economics and
  Marx.
• Value is ontologically ambivalent. It is a power
  over beings.
• Value is also a way of esteeming beings.

4
Questioning the Earths Value

• Valuing the Earth through ground-rent does not
  have to mean merely exploiting the Earth.
• Valuing the Earth through ground-rent can mean
  esteeming the Earth.
• The Earths natural, renewable power to absorb
  carbon emissions can be esteemed by charging
  ground-rent on portions of the Earths surface.

5
Questioning the Earths Value

• The entire Earths surface, parcelled by
  international agreement, could enable each
  country to derive an annual rent.
• Interventionist global political action
  ultimately cannot cope with the problem of carbon
  emissions.
• A global, solely carbon emissions market cannot
  work, because it is not value-driven, but
  politically concocted by governments.

6
Questioning the Earths Value

• A market approach to coping with carbon emissions
  depends on ingeniously marketing the value of
  the Earths capacity to absorb carbon.
• Governments can oblige emitters of carbon
  worldwide (industry and consumers) to properly
  dispose of their emissions.
• Proper disposal of carbon emissions amounts to
  having to pay for carbon absorption.

7
Questioning the Earths Value

• The oceans, forests, steppes, in particular, are
  natural carbon sinks.
• The Earths natural carbon sinks can be enhanced
  by existing and yet-to-be-invented
  environmentally friendly technologies.
• Market-traded, natural and technologically
  enhanced carbon absorption can provide the basis
  for a global carbon sink industry in which also
  poor stakeholders could participate.

8
Questioning the Earths Value

• A global carbon sink industry would value the
  Earth, esteeming it for simply being what it is.
• Having to pay for letting the Earth be would be a
  step toward humanitys custodianship of the Earth
  and counteract its ongoing exploitation.
• Further details Michael Eldred
  www.webcom.com/artefact/untpltcl/qstnerth.html