The Ethics of Climate Change: Considering Scale and Responsibility

Abstract

Efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change are being undertaken at a variety of geographic and political scales, ranging from personal behavior to large-scale international treaties. These activities represent a spectrum of agent behaviors and policies related to the climate change phenomenon. Underpinning these behaviors and policies are daunting ethical and moral questions pertaining to response and responsibility. On the international stage, the discourse often focuses on measuring responsibility between developed and developing nations. At smaller scales, the discourse attempts to determine responsibility and “right” action at the level of institutions, corporations, and regional governance. However, agents and stakeholders also exist across the temporal dimensions of past, present, and future generations. This research attempts to offer a survey and meta-analysis of the ethical discourse surrounding climate change. The chosen literature addresses the major ethical dilemmas from a variety of scales and perspectives for the purposes of better understanding present policy and the future trajectory of ethical thought around climate change.