1. The Governance of Sustainable Development
Aristotelian social philosophy and sustainable development
Environmental law is about the conflict between humans over the use of nature (natural resources)
Law is a means to mitigate social conflict
Quest for a social order

2. Ethics of sustainable development
Basic goods of human life that are found in nature
Life (food and shelter, pollution)
Play (fishing, hiking)
Aesthetic experience
Religion (biodiversity)
Conflicts over what of these should be preferred

3. Ethics of sustainable development
Sustainable development as a coherent plan of life
Hopes and plans correspond to present action
A question of social philosophy how to order a coherent plan of life for the society
Facts of natural science (e.g. peak oil) are only secondarily relevant to sustainable development

4. Time preference The role of time preference in sustainable development
Something is of use to us now, but maybe not tomorrow (e.g. food that spoils)
Oil is useful as a source of energy only as long as better sources have not been developed
Investments to solar power increase the supply of oil today, as owners of oil below ground want to sell it before solar power is too advanced

5. A social order for sustainable development
Recognizing multiple actors
Three approaches:
Rights
Utilitarianism
the common good

6. Rights
A social order based on rights not very good in avoiding social conflicts
Every right is someone's obligation
Merely stating that rights exist leaves the content open and disputable

7. Rights ”Rights of future generations”
Value in achieving sustainable development questionable
Not helpful in a coherent plan of life
Bring another dimension to the rights debate, perhaps unnecessarily

8. Utilitarianism Problems of utilitarian philosophy
“The greatest good for the greatest number” is not self-evident, the good and the number disputed
Difficulties in valuating different goods

9. Utilitarianism Utilitarian calculation
Calculations can be based only on current market prices
Coasean calculation doesn't account for changes in prices

10. Aristotelian calculation
A. held that values agreed upon in free exchange are social values:
They are comparable
They reflect the social opinion of the importance of different goods

11. Economics Aristotelian economics
The causal-realist approach
Not empirical
Concentrates on causes and effects, not effectiveness
This allows it to be open to different aspects of the common goods

12. Autonomy
Responsibility of potential polluters is necessary to achieve sustainable development
Sustainable development also requires a coherent plan of life, i.e. autonomy
Governance should be concerned with the responsibility and autonomy of actors, and leave planning to actors

13. Autonomy
Uncertainty for the future the major cause for high time preference
”living like there is no tomorrow”
Radical changes cause uncertainty
Government interventions can be counterproductive