Call For Papers
Special Issue of Studies in Ethics, Law, and Technology
“Ethical, Legal and Technological Aspects of Energy Security”
Guest Editors:
Professor Christopher Fynsk
Director of the Centre for Modern Thought, University of Aberdeen
Professor C.P. Mitchell
Director of the Institute of Energy Technologies, University of Aberdeen
Dr. John Paterson
Deputy Head of the School of Law, University of Aberdeen
As the G8 observed at its St Petersburg meeting in 2006, energy is fundamental to improving living conditions in both developed and developing countries. Accordingly, “ensuring sufficient, reliable and environmentally responsible supplies of energy at prices reflecting market fundamentals is a challenge for our countries and for mankind as a whole”. In other words, energy security is one of the pillars for human existence.
In order to achieve energy security, the G8 identified the need to deal with “serious and linked challenges” including:
- high and volatile oil prices;
- growing demand for energy (estimated to rise by more than 50% by the year 2030, approximately 80% of which would still be met by fossil fuels, which are limited resources);
- increasing import dependence in many countries;
- enormous investment requirements along the entire energy chain;
- the need to protect the environment and to tackle climate change;
- the vulnerability of the critical energy infrastructure;
- political instability, natural disasters and other threats.
Paradoxically, the technologies offered as the most suitable responses to these challenges are by no means understood to be unquestionably beneficial. Nuclear energy, wind power and bio fuels (to name but three of the currently most high profile options under discussion) each raise significant ethical, legal and, indeed, technological problems. Furthermore, is the G8’s insistence on a market model for energy security beyond question?
Indeed, taking the last question as a point of departure, even more basic issues may be raised. How might we assess the impact of fundamental ethical commitments on the notion of energy security? And how might new approaches to the understanding of human life in the global ecosystem shape legal or technological thinking on this issue?
The Guest Editors, in conjunction with the Editors-in-Chief, are seeking articles for a special issue in this area. Articles may deal with, but are not limited to:
- Ethical and legal issues related to “clean” energy technologies
- Problems for ethics, law and technology caused by contested science
- Market versus interventionist approaches to energy security
- The tension between energy security and environmental protection
- The impact of fundamental ethical commitments on the notion of energy security
- The impact of new approaches to the understanding of human life in the global ecosystem on legal or technological thinking about energy security
Submissions will be refereed for relevance to the theme as well as academic rigour and originality. High quality articles not deemed to be sufficiently relevant to the special issue may be considered for publication in a subsequent non-themed issue.
Closing date for submissions: 30 November 2009
To submit your paper, please use our online submission system. For questions to the editor, you may email John Paterson () who will liaise with the other editors.