Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2010; 1(1):5

However,  it’s not only enforcement;  there need to be strong collaboration between the officials enforcing legal 
provisions  and  the  business  community  as  well  as  other  stakeholders  who are  ever  vigilant  to  see  sustainable 
development. The element of reciprocity and complementarity needs to be in place towards ensuring appropriate 
environment for sustainable development. 

Above all, it’s the leadership of the officials who make the difference in the enforcement of environmental law in 
the country by sheer courage and steadfastness in decision-making and implementation.

Ethics of Energy Technologies

Prof.  Darryl  Macer,  Ph.D.,  Regional  Adviser  for  Social  and Human Sciences  in  Asia and Pacific,  RUSHSAP, 
UNESCO Bangkok

Email: d.macer@unesco.org

The Regional  Unit  in Social  and Human Sciences  in Asia and the Pacific  (RUSHSAP) at  UNESCO Bangkok 
launched  the  Ethics  of  Energy  Technologies  in  Asia  and  the  Pacific  Project  in  September  2007.  The  launch 
conference was held also with the cooperation of the Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Science and Technology of 
Thailand. A full report of that conference is available on the web, as well as the abstracts of the three day meeting,  
attended by a hundred people from about 20 countries from many sectors and backgrounds. Since then there have 
been  a  number  of  subsequent  conferences  and  working  group  sessions organized  in  different  countries,  and  a 
summary of these will be presented.

Following on from that conference fourteen working groups have been formed on the following topics (more details 
appear in the project introduction document) [http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=energyethics]:

• Universalism and environmental values
• Ethical worldviews of nature
• Visions and hopes of the future
• Representation and who decides
• Community engagement
• Stakeholder responsibilities
• Energy equity and human security
• Cost-benefit analysis and economic constructions
• Adoption & development of energy technologies (state of the art review)
• Ethical frameworks for research agendas and policy
• Educational frameworks for environmental ethics
• Nuclear dialogues
• Energy flow, environment, and ethical implications of meat production
• Water ethics and water resource management

The aim of the working groups is to develop dialogue around these particular issues with a focus on environmental 
ethics and human security. Each group will produce a report with policy options that can be used by policy makers, 
philosophers, scientists and researchers to consider the ethical dimensions of energy policy. All can follow the report 
development through the individual websites. The reports will also feed into the COMEST considerations on the 
ethics of climate change. There are approximately 200 persons who are currently members of the working groups, 
from young and old, many disciplines, professions and country. This overview will introduce some of the working 
group results, and progress. More members are invited to join.

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http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=energyethics