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Let’s do some philosophy ...

Why is a rise in global average temperature a threat anyway? Don't worry, be happy, right? Everyone looks forward to a warm summer, so surely a few more days of sunny skies and outdoor barbecues would be great, wouldn't they?  If we can start some new businesses growing olives and grapes in Cornwall, it’s not all doom and gloom after all, is it?  Well, perhaps not.  

Climate change asks of us a deeper understanding.  Something much more fundamental needs to be considered beyond the science: the way we deal with climate change calls into question the ethics of the relationships that exist between people and nations, and between industrial civilization and the rest of nature.  We already know that the carbon dioxide we have added to the atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial revolution is affecting people, their livelihoods and the natural world. In the past decade, almost 300 million people per year in developing countries have been affected by climate related disasters and each decade the rate increases by an estimated 80 million people per year.  It could be argued that for much of this time the science was not clear, but now they can be no doubt about the reality of man-made climate change.  So what implications does this have for our actions today?

The very scale of climate change can make it difficult to see from a moral point of view.  It is easy to relate to a situation where an individual intentionally harms another individual, where both the individuals and the harm are identifiable, and where the individuals and the harm are closely related in time and space.  For example, if John intentionally steals Jane’s handbag, he has clearly deliberately harmed Jane; John, Jane and the harm are clearly identifiable; and they are closely related in time and space.  

When we consider climate change and its consequences it is harder to see the connections so easily.  A diffuse group of people is now setting in motion forces that will harm a diffuse group of other people - including future generations - as well as many species of animals and plants in the rest of nature (and certainly the harm done will be much greater than the loss of a handbag!).  Nevertheless, the core of what constitutes a moral problem still remains.  Some people have acted in such a way that harms other people and the rest of nature, even though it is difficult to identify the agents, victims, or chain of causes that exists between them.

If our way of life has consequences for others, including future generations, we need to make these connections for two reasons.  Firstly, as a basic issue of justice.  The effects are likely to be greatest on those least responsible for climate change, so those affected need to be able to understand the factors involved so that responsibility can be apportioned appropriately.  Second, if we ignore these connections then the cost-benefit analysis of actions with major climate impacts, such as new airport runways, are likely to be biased by not taking into account the impacts on other human lives of such decisions.

This moves us into the realm of ethics.  Ethics help us decide how we ought to live, they are concerned with how and why we value certain things and what actions properly reflect those values.   These considerations of equity and responsibility apply to relations between people, to responsibilities to future generations of humans, and our responsibilities to nonhuman nature.  These discussions are just beginning at the international level but could have profound implications.  It’s the Planet supports the recognition of the issues of justice and equity in the future development of carbon markets - they should not just be a means to continue business as usual.  After all, the sky belongs to everyone - and to everything - living on the Earth.

Here is Peter Barnes, the proponent of the Sky Trust, talking about his ideas for holding the atmosphere as a global commons:

If you would like to learn more about these ideas have a look at the proposed Earth Atmospheric Trust as a means to stop global warming and end poverty.