53391. A Climate of Injustice: Global Inequality, North-South Politics, and Climate Policy
- Author:
- Martin Bunzl
- Publication Date:
- 07-2008
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- When people learn that I am an academic philosopher interested in climate change they often become effusive about the dire need for more talk about ethics in the discussions of global warming. I usually respond that talk is cheap; action is what we need! But the engaging thesis (at least for a philosopher) of J. Timmons Roberts and Bradley C. Parks's A Climate of Injustice is that if we want action we need to talk about fairness first. Their book fairly bristles with theses and prescriptions, but their core argument goes like this: (1) The only way to stop the looming climate crisis is to stem the prospective growth of carbon outputs by the developing world (the ''South''); (2) the South will cooperate in such a plan only if an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect can be built with the developed world (the ''North''); (3) such trust and mutual respect can grow only if the North acts fairly in the eyes of the South when it comes to climate issues; and (4) such fairness will require the North to take on the burden of its historic role in causing the problem.
- Topic:
- Environment