Philip Boucher

Mapping the ethical landscape of carbon capture and storage

This article describes a method of scoping for potential ethical contentions within a resource constrained research environment where actor participation and bottom–up analysis is precluded. Instead of reverting to a top–down analytical structure, a data-led process is devised. This imitates a bottom–up analytic structure in the absence of the direct participation of actors, culminating in the construction of a map of the ethical landscape; a high-resolution ethical matrix of coded interpretations of various actors’ ethical framings of the technology. Despite its limitations, which are discussed, the map can subsequently support the identification of areas where ethical contentions may be raised. Here, the method is described with reference to the construction and analysis of a map of the ethical landscape of carbon capture and storage technology. Taken as a preliminary stage of a larger study, it can support the design and initiation of more sophisticated analyses which may integrate stronger bottom–up participation and facilitate a reflective, deliberative process amongst actors.ZusammenfassungDieser Beitrag beschreibt ein Verfahren, welches ethische Aspekte innerhalb solcher Forschungsvorhaben erschließt, die durch den Wunsch nach Berücksichtigung des Akteursstandpunkts bei begrenzten Ressourcen gekennzeichnet sind. Dabei wird hier eine datengeführte Bottom–up-Analyse statt eines Top–down-Ansatzes verfolgt. Sie simuliert zunächst lediglich die breite und unmittelbare Partizipation, indem sie die vielfältigen moralischen Standpunkte von Akteuren interpretiert, gruppiert und in eine komplexe ethische Matrix überführt. Trotz mancher hier diskutierter Einschränkungen lassen sich mit dieser Matrix kritische Technikbereiche identifizieren, in denen ethische Probleme zu erwarten sind. Im vorliegenden Fall wird das vorgeschlagene Verfahren am Beispiel des carbon capture and storage erläutert und angewendet. Darüber hinaus lässt sich diese noch vorläufige Methode zu einem anspruchsvolleren Verfahren ausbauen, das mehr partizipative Elemente enthält, um eine reflektive Deliberation zwischen den Akteuren zu realisieren.RésuméCet article décrit une méthode pour cadrer les contentions éthiques potentielles dans un environnement de recherche contraint par la ressource en question, et où la participation des acteurs et l’analyse « bottom–up » est écartée. Au lieu de retourner à une structure analytique « top–down », un processus mené par les données est conçu. Ceci imite une structure analytique « bottom–up » en l’absence de la participation directe des acteurs et culmine dans la création d’une carte du paysage éthique: une matrice éthique en haute résolution contenant les interprétations codées des différentes visions de la technologie des acteurs. Malgré ses limitations, qui font sujet de discussion, cette carte peut ensuite aider l’identification de lieux où des contentions peuvent survenir. Ici, la méthode est décrite en référence à la construction et l’analyse d’une carte du paysage éthique de la technologie relative au captage et stockage du dioxyde de carbone. Pris comme un stade préliminaire d’une étude plus large, la méthode peut soutenir la conception et l’initiation d’analyses plus sophistiqués qui sauront peut-être intégrer une plus forte participation « bottom–up » et faciliter un processus réflectif et délibératif parmi les acteurs.

What Next after Determinism in the Ontology of Technology? Distributing Responsibility in the Biofuel Debate

This article builds upon previous discussion of social and technical determinisms as implicit positions in the biofuel debate. To ensure these debates are balanced, it has been suggested that they should be designed to contain a variety of deterministic positions. Whilst it is agreed that determinism does not feature strongly in contemporary academic literatures, it is found that they have generally been superseded by an absence of any substantive conceptualisation of how the social shaping of technology may be related to, or occur alongside, an objective or autonomous reality. The problem of determinism emerges at an ontological level and must be resolved in situ. A critical realist approach to technology is presented which may provide a more appropriate framework for debate. In dialogue with previous discussion, the distribution of responsibility is revisited with reference to the role of scientists and engineers.

Things, Names, Judgments, and the LRS Lens A Critical Realist Analysis of the Biofuel Controversy in the United Kingdom

This article describes the LRS lens, a methodology designed to consider technical controversies with reference to a critical realist conceptualization of technology and meaning production. The application of the lens is demonstrated in a qualitative analysis of the biofuel controversy in the United Kingdom. The analysis organizes participants’ positions in terms of the technologies they refer to, their names, and their judgments. They organize biofuels’ variability in different ways, developing the vocabulary to identify and refer to relevant subgroups. The domination of one approach could have a significant impact on technical development.

New Energy Technologies in the Media: a Case Study of Carbon Capture and Storage

The deployment of low-carbon energy supply technologies worldwide has sparked a debate about how to balance local environmental protection and our need for reliable low carbon energy. This books brings together ten years of research conducted by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and uses a range of case studies from carbon capture and storage to on-shore wind farms to explore the complex nature of disputes between a wide variety of stakeholder groups. Topics covered include: •the importance of context •the relationship between risk and trust •sense of place •role of the media An invaluable resource for researchers and readers in local or national government, industry or community groups who wish to deepen their understanding of controversy around low carbon technology and how to overcome it.