Ethics & Climate Change: The Greenhouse EffectWilfrid Laurier Univ. Press, 1993 M08 19 - 199 pages Faced with the prospect of global warming, the anticipated rapid rise in global air temperatures due to the release of gases into the atmosphere, we have two choices of how to respond: adaptation or avoidance. With adaptation we keep burning fossil fuels, let global temperatures rise and make whatever changes this requires: move people from environmentally damaged areas, build sea walls, etc. With avoidance we stop warming from occurring, either by reducing our use of fossil fuels or by using technology such as carbon dioxide recovery after combustion to block the warming effect. Yet each strategy has its drawbacks—adaptation may not be able to occur fast enough to accommodate the expected temperature increases, but avoidance would be prohibitively expensive. An ethically acceptable goal must involve some mixture of adaptation and avoidance. Written by a team of scientists, social scientists, humanists, legal and environmental scholars and corporate researchers, this book offers an ethical analysis of possible responses to the problem. Their analyses of the scientific and technological data and the ethical principles involved in determining whose interests should be considered point to a combination of adaptation and avoidance of greenhouse gas production. They offer assessments of personal, corporate, government and international responsibility and a series of recommendations to aid decision-makers in determining solutions and apportioning responsibility. |
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... Bankes G. Cornelis van Kooten Kerri R. Blair and William A. Ross Published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press for The Calgary Institute for the Humanities Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Main entry under title :
... Kooten 9. Energy Efficiency at Home and Abroad Kerri R. Blair and William A. Ross 149 Conclusion 165 Thomas Hurka About the Authors Bibliography Index 171 175 187 This page intentionally left blank Figure 1.1 Global - mean vii TABLE OF ...
... Kooten's study of effective economic mechanisms for dealing with global climate change . The chapter begins by considering the opportunity costs involved in averting global climate change . ( For example , money spent on reducing ...
... Kooten proceeds on the assumption that , since states have not yet recognized property rights to the atmosphere , the atmosphere can therefore be considered an open - access resource . Van Kooten is clearly correct on this legal point ...
... Kooten's conclusion is that economic policies can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions , but such policies carry a price tag that will make the current generation poorer . And poorer people pass on less wealth to future generations ...
Contents
1 | |
11 | |
23 | |
3 Religious Responsibility | 39 |
4 The ArcticA Canadian Case Study | 61 |
5 Personal Responsibility | 81 |
6 Corporate Responsibility | 99 |
7 International Responsibility | 115 |
Efficiency and Ethical Considerations | 133 |
9 Energy Efficiency at Home and Abroad | 149 |
Conclusion | 165 |
About the Authors | 171 |
Bibliography | 175 |
Index | 187 |
Other editions - View all
Ethics and Climate Change: The Greenhouse Effect Harold Coward,Thomas Hurka No preview available - 1993 |
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