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Assisted Migration and Invasive Species: Exploring an Ethical Dilemma

Jay Odenbaugh, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR


According to many, we are subject to two duties. First, it is morally wrong for human to cause a species to go extinct. Second, it is morally wrong to introduce a species into an area in which it is not native. Unfortunately, human-induced climate change will cause species to go extinct unless we relocate those species to areas outside their native range. Thus, we are either causing species to go extinct or creating exotic species both of which are morally wrong. In this talk, I consider ways of dealing with the environmental dilemma.

 

Presentation Slides (.pdf)

 

Presentation Video