I always thought the greatest (moral) argument for conservation was about future generations. Kind of like intertemporal property rights -- who are the Romans to unilaterally deprive us of that magic plant? We moderns had no say in the matter.
A related argument is Tyler Cowen's moral imperative for "growth with rights". If you believe that, then you also believe we have a moral imperative to enable growth in the future, not just today. So with non-renewable resources you should be thinking: will I get more bang for my buck today or later? Better to grow be... (read more)
I always thought the greatest (moral) argument for conservation was about future generations. Kind of like intertemporal property rights -- who are the Romans to unilaterally deprive us of that magic plant? We moderns had no say in the matter.
A related argument is Tyler Cowen's moral imperative for "growth with rights". If you believe that, then you also believe we have a moral imperative to enable growth in the future, not just today. So with non-renewable resources you should be thinking: will I get more bang for my buck today or later? Better to grow be... (read more)