Applicability to Human Needs

Abstract

This Chapter discusses the virtue of applicability to human needs and makes that case that it has generally failed to be applied to scientific practice as well as geoengineering in particular. Issues discussed include the extent and nature of scientific backing, how ethics figures into the support of climate engineering, as well as matters related to intergenerational justice, globalization, socially responsible science and conflicts of interest. Despite the fact that a basic understanding of human needs is both intuitive and self-evident, related issues around human interests, justice, equity and power are also important and significantly complicate how this virtue is perceived and the avenues through which it can be attained.