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Questioning the Earth’s Value

This paper explores the concept of valuing the Earth through ground-rent and proposes the establishment of a global carbon sink industry to address carbon emissions. It challenges traditional notions of value and advocates for a market-driven approach to carbon absorption.

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Questioning the Earth’s Value

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  1. Questioning the Earth’s Value A ground-rent approach proposing a carbon sink industry Michael Eldred, Cologne Prepared for 1st Intnl. Conference on Climate & Philosophy, University of South Florida, 14-16 Sept. 2006 Version 1.0 June 2006, Version 2.0 May 2008

  2. Questioning the Earth’s Value • Putting the earth’s value into question means asking how the earth can have a value. • In a world of globalized markets, value cannot be separated from market-value. • A market-value for the earth can only be made plausible by reviving and rethinking the category of ground-rent in political economy.

  3. Questioning the Earth’s Value • Reconsidering the category of ground-rent requires a radical rethinking of the category of value inherited from classical economics and Marx. • Value is ontologically ambivalent. It is a power over beings. • Value is also a way of esteeming beings.

  4. Questioning the Earth’s Value • Valuing the Earth through ground-rent does not have to mean merely exploiting the Earth. • Valuing the Earth through ground-rent can mean esteeming the Earth. • The Earth’s natural, renewable power to absorb carbon emissions can be esteemed by charging ground-rent on portions of the Earth’s surface.

  5. Questioning the Earth’s Value • The entire Earth’s surface, parcelled by international agreement, could enable each country to derive an annual rent. • Interventionist global political action ultimately cannot cope with the problem of carbon emissions. • A global, solely carbon emissions market cannot work, because it is not value-driven, but politically concocted by governments.

  6. Questioning the Earth’s Value • A market approach to coping with carbon emissions depends on ingeniously ‘marketing’ the value of the Earth’s capacity to absorb carbon. • Governments can oblige emitters of carbon worldwide (industry and consumers) to properly ‘dispose’ of their emissions. • Proper ‘disposal’ of carbon emissions amounts to having to pay for carbon absorption.

  7. Questioning the Earth’s Value • The oceans, forests, steppes, in particular, are natural carbon sinks. • The Earth’s natural carbon sinks can be enhanced by existing and yet-to-be-invented environmentally friendly technologies. • Market-traded, natural and technologically enhanced carbon absorption can provide the basis for a global carbon sink industry in which also poor stakeholders could participate.

  8. Questioning the Earth’s Value • A global carbon sink industry would value the Earth, esteeming it for simply being what it is. • Having to pay for letting the Earth be would be a step toward humanity’s custodianship of the Earth and counteract its ongoing exploitation. • Further details: Michael Eldredwww.webcom.com/artefact/untpltcl/qstnerth.html

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