Climate Matters: Ethics in a Warming World

The latest from the Amnesty International Global Ethics series examines climate change from a philosophical perspective and explains the moral duties required to combat the problem. Drawing on the numerous scientific studies demonstrating that “the Arctic is melting,” Oxford philosopher Broome (Counting the Cost of Global Warming) begins with the effects this melting has on the local human population (for example, the Inuit people of Greenland and northern Canada), such as the sudden unpredictability of animal life and difficulty constructing shelter. Broome contends that at the bare minimum, the rest of the world has an obligation to reduce climate change to assist these innocent victims, if not to prevent potential future catastrophes elsewhere. On an individual level, people should, in the interests of justice, stop emitting greenhouse gases, which clearly cause harm to others, according to Broome. It is the responsibility of governments, whose aim should be to promote goodness in various ways, to reduce emissions and thus decrease the damage caused by climate change. While predictions of the future climate range “from the relatively benign to the catastrophically harsh,” experts agree that the risk of disaster is a real possibility. As a result, Broome argues, people must pressure their governments to work together to significantly reduce emissions now. Though this is a well-reasoned consideration of the issue’s ethical implications and obligations, it’s unlikely to sway nonbelievers. (July)