The ethics of deliberate extinction explored in Science

The prospect of eradicating species using genome modification is now becoming a possibility. Whether the idea of eradication is focussed on local scale or global, the deliberate extinction of species raises important questions about the multiple values of species, and the role of science and ethics in these debates.

An international collaboration of environmental ethicists, bioethicists, conservation biologists, ecologists, social scientists, and scientists has recently published a paper in Science debating the ethics of deliberate extinction as it relates to three prospective high-profile cases. The New World screwworm, anopheles gambiae, mosquitoes and several species of rodents have previously been considered ideal candidates for extinction in the scientific literature.

Led by the Hastings Center for Bioethics, the project convened a group of disciplinary experts to deliberate on the issues and challenges raised by deliberate extinction. A total of 19 international experts participated in the workshop held in Arizona State University in May 2024. Lucy Carter was invited as contributor to the workshop, the outcome of which has been a co-authored essay published in Science and led by Gregory E. Kaebnick and James Collins.

The essay debates the ethical acceptability of using genome modification (as a set of technologies) to deliberately eradicate ‘problematic’ species on the grounds of protecting biodiversity and eliminating human and animal suffering. The paper concludes that deliberate extinction might be acceptable very rarely and under specific conditions. Collective (and local) decision-making is an essential feature of its responsible governance.