Climate change

Harmful effects: Ethics and climate change

In his recent book "Global Warming: the complete briefing", Sir John Houghton suggests that assessments of our environmental value and appropriate attitudes can be developed from the following:

• The future relies on science:
  The perspective of balance, interdependence and unity in the natural world is generated by the underlying science.
• Humans have a special place in the universe:
  A recognition that humans have a special place in the universe, which in turn implies that humans have a special responsibility with respect to the natural world.
• Damaging the environment is wrong:
  A recognition that to damage the environment or to fail to care for it is wrong.
• All humans share responsibility:
  An interpretation of human responsibility in terms of stewardship of the Earth based on ‘shared’ values generally recognised by different human communities and that strives for equity and justice as between different human communities and different generations.
• Humans as ‘gardeners’ of the Earth.
  A recognition of the importance of stewardship – humans as ‘gardeners’ of the Earth is a possible ‘model’ for stewardship.
• The total damage is due to the sum of the actions of individuals.
  A recognition that, just as the totality of damage to the environment is the sum of the damage done by a large number of individuals, the totality of action to address environmental problems is the sum of a large number of individual actions to which we all contribute.
• All individuals need to act:
  A recognition that, just as the totality of damage to the environment is the sum of the damage done by a large number of individuals, the totality of action to address environmental problems is the sum of a large number of individual actions to which we all contribute.
   

 Beneficial effects of climate change

Reference: Houghton, J.T. 2004 (third edition). Global Warming: the complete briefing. Cambridge University Press.