Concerns about climate activism in clinical practice – Authors' reply

Environmental ethics beyond conferences: A response to the WCB bioethics in Qatar

Rieke van der Graaf, Karin Jongsma, Martine de Vries, Suzanne van de Vathorst, and Ineke Bolt have done well to voice ethical concerns over the decision of the IAB to host the next WCB in Qatar. Conferences should be more sustainable. Yet, attention to the carbon impact of conferences—and, perhaps, any country that a person might travel to for...

Climate change and the prescription pad

Het morele ideaal van planetaire gezondheid: Ethical implications for healthcare

Planetary health is not only a new field of research and practice; it is also a moral ideal. What are the implications for medicine and health care? In this article, we argue that within this ideal, health of humans, animals and also nature are worthy of protection for their own sake. These values can reinforce each other, but they may also...

The eco-ethical contribution of Menico Torchio – a forgotten pioneer of European Bioethics

Background: In 1926, Fritz Jahr described bio-ethics (German: bio-ethik) as “the assumption of moral obligations not only towards humans, but towards all forms of life.” Jahr summarized his philosophy by declaring, “Respect every living being on principle as an end in itself and treat it, if possible, as such!.” Bioethics was thus originally...

Introduction

Reimagining research ethics to include environmental sustainability: a principled approach, including a case study of data-driven health research

In this paper we argue the need to reimagine research ethics frameworks to include notions of environmental sustainability. While there have long been calls for healthcare ethics frameworks and decision-making to include aspects of sustainability, less attention has focused on how research ethics frameworks could address this. To do this, we...

Environmentally sustainable development and use of artificial intelligence in health care

Artificial intelligence (AI) can transform health care by delivering medical services to underserved areas, while also filling gaps in health care provider availability. However, AI may also lead to patient harm due to fatal glitches in robotic surgery, bias in diagnosis, or dangerous recommendations. Despite concerns ethicists have identified...

Sustainability and Bioethics

Climate Change Related Health Hazards and the Academic Responsibility of Evangelical Bioethicists

This article will explore the academic responsibility of Evangelical bioethicists to address climate change related health hazards. First, it will provide evidence-based data on climate change related health hazards, which disproportionately affect the poor and vulnerable worldwide, and as such are a form of environmental racism. Second, it will...