The Preeminent Question of Environmental Philosophy: Where Should We Set the Envirostat?

This chapter argues that there are good moral reasons to think of geoengineering as technology to address both anthropogenic and natural threats to the environment. As geoengineering technology develops, we will increasingly have the ability to adjust the parameters of the environment, e.g., adjust the planet’s temperature, CO2 concentration, etc. With this greater ability comes greater responsibility: we must decide what the Earth’s environment ought to be like in a manner that justly serves its inhabitants—including animals. Thus, the preeminent question of environmental philosophy is: What should the environment be like?