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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... 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 ...
... interests of future generations . This concept , the authors argue , has the capacity to bring corporations , governments , environmen- tal groups , and individuals together to deal with challenges like the greenhouse effect . The ...
... interests of fu- ture generations for us to pursue a balance between adaptation and avoidance policies . The final chapter , by Kerri Blair and Bill Ross , titled " Energy Effi- ciency at Home and Abroad , " examines ways to avoid ...
... interest and as fulfilling the moral responsibility to avoid further global climate change . One final word : As this interdisciplinary research team worked on the ethical analysis of possible responses to the greenhouse effect , it be ...
... interest and the common good will coincide , if we act wisely . Many people see global climate change as a threat ; we prefer the word challenge . This volume is a justification for the more optimistic term . The challenge is obviously ...
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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