Oil and Ethics

Is there really anyway an ethics expert can justifiably avoid discussing the Gulf oil spill? I think not. Perhaps our inclinations are always to focus on the evils of big corporations. But then, perhaps the historical evils of big corporations are what lead us to suspect that this time also they have not done the right thing. So, what about it? Eleven men have lost their lives. We have certainly been hearing about the $500,000 that was not spent on a backup system in case of an oil spill. In Florida, there is a great deal of talk about cancelling any approved or proposed drilling programs off of our coast – programs that were voted on by politicians who favored the oil company’s desires.

So, where do the ethical questions lie? I think there are a number of ethical questions for politicians, oil company executives, and the public to ask themselves:

Some questions relate to taking care of the environment so that it can sustain us long term – for instance,
• Are we paying attention to what it takes to live sustainably, using only our share of the earth’s resources, the resources that we actually need, rather than far more than we need or that the earth can bear over time?
• Have we reduced our consumption of non-renewable energy – like oil – by driving smaller cars, riding bikes and walking, and investing in renewable energy, environmentally friendly appliances and supplies (e.g., online newspapers and products, eliminating plastic bags and water bottles)
• Or are we, in our ever expanding greed, taking whatever we can get away with, for as long as we can get away with it, somewhat in competition with others who are doing the same thing?
• Are we staying aware of what will damage the environment and thinking about how we might leave a useable world for our children and grandchildren?
• When the environment is unavoidably damaged, do we “give back” by cleaning up the messes, cleaning up the spills, cleaning up the animals and their habitats?
• Or do we have only the present tense attitude of “getting while the getting is good?”
• Or are we simply uninformed, unaware, and uneducated about what it takes to sustain a healthy and functioning environment?

Some questions relate to carefully weighing the potential harm to other industries and stakeholders should oil companies’ assurances about safety not be upheld by realities – for instance,
• Do we, our politicians, or other decision makers fully inform ourselves so as to be able to evaluate the claims of those who make the news, of companies who want to use our natural or other resources?
• Do we hire, if necessary, independent experts or scholars to evaluate the claims if we are not able to do so ourselves? Do we listen to them?
• Are we taking every precaution or insisting that companies take every precaution to ensure that people and environments and economies are not hurt?
• Or do we swallow, hook, line, and sinker the company’s claims – because they are authority figures who we want, need, or hope we can trust; or because they have big, profitable companies?

Some questions relate to doing the right thing in a profit-driven environment – for instance,
• Do we expect companies, company leaders, and politicians to act ethically, investigating their character before we select/elect them or purchase their products, expecting them to demonstrate to us that they do their best to always do the right thing?
• Do we expect these folks to have restitution and recovery plans in place in case the unavoidable happens and people, property, or the environment are harmed?
• If the unavoidable happens, do we behave ethically, by insisting firmly but respectfully, assertively, but in ways that value relationships, that companies, company leaders, and politicians do the right thing?
• Or do we fall prey to advertising gimmicks that tell us what we want to hear?
• Or buy into the notion that companies have the right to do anything they want to in order to make profit for the stockholders?
• Or accept their premise that whatever the market will bear, they can do, without understanding that WE are the market and thus can say, “No.”

Some questions relate to encouraging workplace health, so that everyone is working at the top of their game, in jobs that they feel very committed to because they have a sense of calling or “vocation” associated with the work – for instance,
• Do we accept what Dennis Bakke, former CEO of AES, calls “having fun” at work – which means not being or feeling like a cog in a machine; choosing what we want to do at work, what gives us the most fulfillment, what fits best with our interests and needs and talents?
• Or do we just accept that work is work, and that it isn’t supposed to be fun and enriching? That whatever the boss says goes? That we aren’t supposed to have a voice? That our jobs may be at risk if we say what we really want to say?
• Do we aspire to treat everyone as gifted in some way, as deserving of respect and kindness, as worthy of being listened to?
• As a result, do we create the kinds of environments where people speak about their concerns, the best answers are found, and there is the least likelihood that crises like this oil spill will happen?
• Or do we only grant such privileges to those in power, those making the most money?

Some questions relate to whether we expect everyone in a company to do their best at their job and to do what’s optimal ethically;
• Do we really try our best to create the best products possible and have optimal working relationships with our colleagues and others?
• Or do we just go along, waiting until the work day is over so we can have fun, saying and doing as little as possible, keeping our head down and our nose to the grindstone?
• Do we try always to do the right thing, reflecting carefully on our and our company’s values when making decisions, and always aim for what is optimal ethically?
• Or do we get while the getting is good, get what we can before anyone notices, or do the minimum we have to in order to meet legal requirements -- without considering the bigger picture?

Some questions relate to whether we, as members of the public, balance our lives in ways that allow us to invest energy in ensuring that our communities are strong and that we are all working together for what is optimal – including informing our politicians of what matters to us – rather than having a fire truck mentality in which we only react in a crisis.
• Do we take the responsibility to be intentional about how we live day-to-day in our communities, how we raise our children, how we treat our neighbors, and what we expect of those who do business or run organizations in our communities?
• Or are we on automatic, struggling to get by, and figuring that whenever we can get a break, we will take it?
• Do we wisely decide what to invest our time and money in, so that we will have time and money left over to improve our society, to consider what is optimal ethically, to inform our politicians and decision makers so as to help them to make good choices, and to intervene in whatever ways are necessary to stop illegal, unethical, or simply unwise behavior?
• Or do we cram as much activity and fun as we can into every hour of the day because life is short, and if we don’t, we might “lose,” although it is sometimes unclear what the prize might be for winning the race.

These are all ethical questions, about responsibility, kindness, trustworthiness, fairness, respect, citizenship, wisdom, courage, and about living thoughtfully or intentionally, rather than on automatic. They are questions that we need to think carefully about if we are to do the right thing, if we are to make the best choices, if we and our companies are to become healthy, are to be around for the long term, and are to create communities that we all want to work and live in.

Should we point the finger at the oil companies because of the “crisis” that faces many people, companies, and states at the present moment? We could.

Should we ask the companies the above questions and expect answers? We should!

But more importantly, should we ask ourselves and our friends and neighbors and coworkers these very same questions? And ask them and ask them and ask them – so that we intentionally create the kinds of communities where oil companies and others will not succeed or exist unless they too comply with what is right? Absolutely! And let’s start right away!
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