TY - JOUR
T1 - Reimagining research ethics to include environmental sustainability
T2 - a principled approach, including a case study of data-driven health research
AU - Samuel, Gabrielle
AU - Richie, Cristina
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - In this paper we argue the need to reimagine research ethics frameworks to include notions of environmental sustainability. While there have long been calls for healthcare ethics frameworks and decision-making to include aspects of sustainability, less attention has focused on how research ethics frameworks could address this. To do this, we first describe the traditional approach to research ethics, which often relies on individualised notions of risk. We argue that we need to broaden this notion of individual risk to consider issues associated with environmental sustainability. This is because research is associated with carbon emissions and other environmental impacts, both of which cause climate change health hazards. We introduce how bioethics frameworks have considered notions of environmental sustainability and draw on these to help develop a framework suitable for researchers. We provide a case study of data-driven health research to apply our framework.
AB - In this paper we argue the need to reimagine research ethics frameworks to include notions of environmental sustainability. While there have long been calls for healthcare ethics frameworks and decision-making to include aspects of sustainability, less attention has focused on how research ethics frameworks could address this. To do this, we first describe the traditional approach to research ethics, which often relies on individualised notions of risk. We argue that we need to broaden this notion of individual risk to consider issues associated with environmental sustainability. This is because research is associated with carbon emissions and other environmental impacts, both of which cause climate change health hazards. We introduce how bioethics frameworks have considered notions of environmental sustainability and draw on these to help develop a framework suitable for researchers. We provide a case study of data-driven health research to apply our framework.
KW - research ethics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85135916646&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/jme-2022-108489
DO - 10.1136/jme-2022-108489
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85135916646
SN - 0306-6800
VL - 49
SP - 428
EP - 433
JO - Journal of medical ethics
JF - Journal of medical ethics
IS - 6
M1 - 108489
ER -