The Ethics of Climate Change Anu Paajanen, Diana Ramirez, Festus Zulu, Hanne Nikkinen, Jason Selvarajan, Jens Narger, Maria Polyanskaya,Petra Vallila, Soili Laurila and Tineke Demoor
The Hidden Ethics? Petra, Tineke & Diana
Group Work I Who has the greatest obligation to act and why? Individuals in developing countries Individuals in developed countries Governments in developing countries Governments in developed countries Business Environmental NGOs
A Fight for Facts More climate and climate change information is now available than ever before and many groups are looking to use this information for decision making. The search for climate change facts is heated: What is really happening? Who is responsible? What should be done and by whom?
Hidden Agendas The phenomenon of climate change is often observed from a certain perspective be it political, environmental, social or economic. Although it might seem that the ethics aren t discussed, the values and moral backgrounds of the participants are everpresent.
Hidden Agendas To oversimplify things our values and beliefs often appear when something is described as self-evident, when something must or cannot be done, when something is right or when something is wrong. They must be responsible and take the lead! The ways of consumption cannot be changed. But the fact is that it is only natural So often we make moral choices while we are not aware of them.
Behind the Manifests Like individuals, also the institutionalized subjects such as governments, NGO's, international organizations and different groups act stemming from a particular set of values. For example when a NGO writes its constitution it makes choices between right and wrong and justifiable and unjustifiable. When these actors then interact with each other the focus is often on concrete things and scientific facts but underlying these concrete facts there are multiple moral choices already made.
The Ethics of Climate Change The Ethics of Climate Change are not just the beliefs/principles, but the reasons/justifications for them Why: give meaning to our beliefs How: consistency, moral theories (the greatest happiness principle or categorical imperative), intuitions, emotions or thought experiments, and so on...
Defining Ethics ETHICS/MORAL PHILOSOPHY Meta-ethics Normative ethics Applied ethics Moral psychology Descriptive ethics ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Group Work II Did you think about the ethics? Identify the values you had
Arguments for Not Doing Anything About Climate Change Jens Uncertainties in science, technology, the economy and the individual
Why we Are Not Acting We are accustomed to thinking about individual easily identified harms which are local, right in front of us in space and time A clash between individual and common interests (Tragedy of the commons): it makes sense to be selfish The ones who come earlier are not much in danger from the ones who come later
Individual Level Even if I didn t want to burn fossil fuels, I m embedded in a culture set up to do so, even when it comes only to the satisfaction of my very basic needs
Uncertainties in Science We only partly understand the effects of the oceans and the ice sheets on our climate; positive feedback mechanisms themselves are only slowly coming into view We don t know when and where the trouble caused by climate change will occur
Economical Point of View Doing something would simply cost too much, therefore we shouldn t do anything It would be foolish to reduce your greenhouse emissions if others don t do so One-sided action on climate will do damage to the economy, result in job losses, maybe ruin our current wealth or standard of living
Technology Improvements in contemporary technologies might save us from the worst climate change: Solar power, windmills, renewable energies Breakthroughs in future technologies We always find technical solutions to our troubles
On the Other Hand... Is the uncertainty of not knowing what to do enough reason for doing little or nothing? Is economical concern an appropriate one related to environmental concern? If technology doesn t rescue us, who or what will?
Should Climate Change be the Global Priority? Jason Can We Ignore Those In Need Now?
Help the Future or the Present? We have lots of problems 800 million are starving One billion lack clean drinking water Two billion lack sanitation 2 million die from AIDS each year 175 million international migrants 940 million illiterate adults Several billion people will be affected by global warming
We Don t Solve All Problems We would like to solve all the problems in the world, but we simply don t, therefore, we should prioritize on the most important things first. Who is the best person to prioritize? Bjorn Lomborg and the Copenhagen Consensus believe that economist are best suited since they are impartial and able to measure the benefit or a course of action (power of statistics). The Copenhagen Consensus involved 30 of the worlds best economists including four nobel laureates.
Best Priorities free trade, end EU agricultural subsidies (trade barriers)
Cost/Benefit Analysis What is the return for a dollar? For every euro you spend a euro on controlling HIV/AIDS you get around 50 (20 million/year), malnutrition 40 (, diseases and control of malaria 20. Combating climate change through Kyoto gets you 2 cents back per euro spent Kyoto would cost 150 billion dollars a year and only delay the effects of global warming by 6 years by 2100
Returns? 1:50 or 50:1
ODA Diverted from Development At the turn of the century, over 7% of [OECD] aid flows were spent on greenhouse gas emissions mitigation. However, the contribution of emissions mitigation projects to the central development objective of poverty reduction as specified in the Millennium Development Goals is limited and other project types are likely to be much more effective Rural renewable energy provision in poor countries has a much higher impact on poverty, but a much lower impact on greenhouse gas emissions Moreover, mitigation activities in developing countries provide politicians in industrialized countries with a welcome strategy to distract their constituencies from the lack of success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions domestically (Michaelowa & Michaelowa, 2005). Finland s Official Development Assistance is also being diverted from existing life-saving projects for CO2 mitigation strategies
In Conclusion Bangladeshis in the year 2100 will look back and wonder how we cared so much for them now, yet cared so little for their great grandparents, who needed the help so much more. Of course we MUST act on climate change, but adapting and having the resources and infrastructure to deal with climate change may save more lives, even in the long run (utilitarian point of view). It is easier, faster and cheaper to help those in immediate danger first!
Moral Weights and Responsibilities Soili & Hanne
Past, Present, Future Historical principle of justice Present entitlements and capacities Sustainability
Burdens and Benefits Distribution of goods Limited resources Usage Equalities Burdens and Benefits Talk of punishment Corrective/compensatory action
Historical Principal Carbon sinks are finite The absorption limit all ready used by developed countries Inequality: Developed countries beneficiaries Developing countries pay the bill Developed countries have the responsibility to act Is it just or unjust?
Present Entitlements and Capacities What is responsibility? Knowing/intention There has been knowledge already since 1990 Nothing was done Are we responsible for our parents acts? Yes, because we are the beneficiaries Developed countries have room for reduction and the ability to pay for it Principle of equity
Sustainability Avoiding unnecessary pain through sustainable choices Also the developing countries have to join the fight against climate change
Individual Choices Festus Ethics of Climate Change and Individual Persons
Consistency MORALITY AS WE HAVE SEEN INSISTS ON A KIND OF HUMANE CONSISTENCY We blame America and other countries for not taking action on climate change because of largest share of global emissions Yet our daily activities as individuals contribute a lot to greenhouse gases Some individuals are responsible for no measurable level of greenhouse gases.
Does My Impact on Climate Carry the Same Weight as an Americans? Ethically killing is wrong and it doesn t matter whom is killed. my wrong doing as an individual carries the same weight as of America different only in size Therefore, the individual failure to do something about high carbon lifestyle is morally outrageous
Carbon Footprint of the World
Why don t we do something? Why has so little been done? Despite a lot of facts on climate change. Psychological defense mechanism or denial, such as not believing in climate change, technology will halt climate change, Americans or the government is to be blamed, It is not my problem and many more others. We claim that what we can do cannot make a difference this result of our task of doing something seem even worse than we thought.
Individual contributions We also emit greenhouse gases, we have a moral obligation as individuals to do something, it is not just you, but me and everyone else Individual lifestyle change can be effective Scientific evidence on its own cannot bring action we as individual needs to act A moral difference can be only be made in the individual choices you make The Individual can also influence government policy.
Homework :) Think about your own values in relation to climate change. Where do they come from? What justifications do you have for them?
Resources Garvey, James. The Ethics of Climate Change: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd., 2008 Climate or development - Is ODA diverted from its original purpose? http://hwwi.org/uploads/tx_wilpubdb/hwwi_research_paper_2.pdf Copenhagen Consensus - http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/home.aspx clock pic - http://www.gearfuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/redundant-clock-by-jilee.jpg title pic - http://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/assets/images/house/ethics460.jpg patterns - http://www.squidfingers.com/patterns high ground pic - http://www.iupui.edu/~mstd/a403503/eth1.gif starbucks pic - http://www.tomorrowstrends.com/starbucks.jpg global carbon footprint - http://www.worldmapper.org/images/largepng/299.png
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