1. Writer and investigative journalist Peter Maass has pointed out the devastation caused by the pursuit of oil reserves in the developing world. In Nigeria, throughout some 30 years of oil extraction, the government was “a carnival of corruption,” with a series of military dictators siphoning off the oil wealth into foreign bank accounts. Meanwhile, hundreds of spills ruined farmland and fisheries. Social inequalities grew, as did tribal violence. For years the Niger Delta, the heart of the oil producing region, has been the scene of terrible pollution and of an undeclared and brutal civil war.

How should companies respond to such a situation? Should they try to improve infrastructure (education, environment)? Should they try to influence government policies? Should they consider not operating within a failed state?

2. Environmentalist David Orr says that bringing U.S. energy use within sustainable limits will have two parts. The easy part will be passing laws regulating the use of fossil fuels. More difficult will be the second part: changing the culture of consumption. Orr says “the frantic search for more money and more stuff” is not making us happier, but is actually “profoundly disquieting.” The research on happiness shows that, “beyond some fairly minimal level of comfort, we find satisfaction in our friendships and social relationships. It’s what brings us together that makes us really happy and makes life satisfying.” What ideas might be at the convergence of the human need for sociability and the planet’s need for humans to consume less? Can you make connections between these ideas and ethical theory?