Ecological Humility and Geoengineering the Earth

[Geoengineering News]

https://philarchive.org/rec/DESEHA-2

Authors: C. Tyler DesRoches, Joan McGregor & Stylianos Syropoulos

08 June 2026

Abstract

Current climate trajectories are alarming, with rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, and looming tipping points threatening ecosystems and human communities alike (Marlon et al. 2025; Wolf et al. 2025; NASA 2025). The prospect of geoengineering the Earth—the deliberate, large-scale intervention in Earth’s climate system to help mitigate the negative impacts associated with climate change—forces us to confront more than just scientific and technological questions. It challenges us to examine questions about our character. What should be said about the character of those who would geoengineer the Earth? While the public discourse on geoengineering has tended to emphasize the technological risks associated with geoengineering, this article examines geoengineering through the lens of environmental character, with a special focus on ecological humility. Is geoengineering the Earth consistent with this environmental virtue? While ecological humility is widely discussed among environmental virtue ethicists, detailed accounts of this virtue are scarce. Matthew Pianalto (2013) is the exception. Pianalto argues that ecological humility involves several characteristic dispositions, such as acknowledging and accepting that one is part of nature and dependent upon it. Moreover, the ecologically humble person is open to learning from nature, appreciates the intrinsic value of nature, and is motivated to adopt ways of living that minimize impact on the natural world to preserve the intrinsic value of nature. The ecologically arrogant, on the other hand, are characterized by the impulse to dominate and control the nonhuman world (Whyte 2018; 2017). For the ecologically arrogant, there are no limits on the human will. Human beings are often assumed to stand atop the hierarchy of life on Earth, and they are the only creatures truly worthy of moral consideration. Non-human species and abiotic parts of the environment may be valuable, but only insofar as they contribute to human well-being. This article builds on Pianalto’s (2013) account of ecological humility and considers whether the virtue is consistent with geoengineering. Our new account is grounded in philosophy and recent advances in environmental psychology. On this account, ecological humility is what Nancy Snow (1995) refers to as existential virtue. The ecologically humble recognize and take seriously the limitations and vulnerabilities associated with human existence, especially in relation to non-human parts of nature. We will show that psychologists have investigated components of ecological humility, linking them to greater concern for, and action to ensure the protection of the environment. Although psychologists have yet to measure ecological humility directly, individuals who, for instance, espouse biospheric values also experience awe, reverence, and care toward their ecological communities (Wang et al., 2021; Yan & Jia, 2021), adopt non-anthropocentric beliefs (Lou et al., 2025), and act to promote the flourishing of both human and non-human members (Bouman et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2021). Importantly, this includes intentional actions and omissions that confer benefits and emphasize care over strict non-interference. Conceptually, we argue that the virtue of ecological humility is linked to care via self-respect, recognition of one’s own vulnerability, and attentiveness to interdependent ecological relationships. Moreover, our account is empirically informed, and action-guiding. By emphasizing care, vulnerability, and community flourishing rather than minimizing one’s impact on nature, we argue that ecological humility is consistent with human interventions that contribute to ecological flourishing, which may include geoengineering the Earth.

Source: Phil Archive