Definition & Introduction
Climate ethics is a branch of applied philosophy that deals with moral considerations relating to climate change. It examines the moral aspects of causes and responses to climate change and can be applied to inform individual, group, and societal decision-making concerning climate change and its impacts. International scientific consensus informs us that climate change resulting from human influence—such as the burning of fossil fuels and changes in land-use—is causing widespread adverse impacts and poses increasingly severe risks in future.
Addressing such a global collective action problem raises many moral questions about how and by whom action is taken. While ethical principles responding to such questions are reflected in international agreements like the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change or the UNESCO Declaration of Ethical Principles, the diversity of contexts and levels at which action is to be taken raises many ethical dilemmas concerning questions such as:
- How soon do we act to address climate change and its impacts?
- How do we distribute the burden of addressing climate change and its impacts?
- How do we balance near-term costs of action against long-term benefits?
- How do we balance the needs of different groups and species today and in the future?
- How do we decide whether and how to use new technologies or policies that may help addressing climate change and its impacts, but may also result in negative side-effects?
Climate ethics explores such questions to help us better understand and navigate the ethical landscape of climate change and its impacts, and inform our decisions about how to respond.
During "Cities at the Forefront of the Climate Crisis" (2023), Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal emphasized his view that ethical questions are at the heart of the climate crisis which "requires us to ask what is fair, what is just, and who is responsible for emissions." During the panel discussion and Q&A, experts explored ethical solutions to urban-specific climate challenges.
For more on climate ethics, explore Carnegie Council and off-site resources below.
L to R: Ramu Damodaran, Barbra Lukunka, Amb. Ali Naseer Mohamed, Scott Pohl.
CREDIT: Juhi Desai.
Unlocking Cooperation: Climate Change and Human Mobility
Carnegie Council convened an international group of experts on World Refugee Day 2024 to discuss the importance of enhancing multilateral cooperation at the intersection of climate change and human mobility.
How can ethics inform innovative policies to address climate-induced displacement?
Migration, Climate Change, and Voluntariness
Writing for Carnegie Council's Ethics & International Affairs journal, Christine Straehle investigates to what extent resettlement can compensate for the harm that climate-induced migration brings.
How Can the World Put Justice at the Heart of Governing Climate-Altering Technologies?
Kumi Naidoo argues—due to democratic, transparency, coherence, and accountability deficits—that just governance of climate-altering technologies will be difficult to achieve.
For much more on the work of the Council's Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (operating from 2016 to 2023), please go to C2G's website.
Climate Ethics Resources
SEP 26, 2022 • Podcast
C2GTalk: How can countries work together to tackle climate change? with Sunita Narain
Countries need to set aside their differences, recognize their interdependence, and negotiate as equals to tackle the climate crisis, says Sunita Narain, the director general of India's Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) during a "C2GTalk."
OCT 3, 2019 • Podcast
Climate Change, Intergenerational Ethics, & Political Responsibility, with Stephen Gardiner
University of Washington's Professor Stephen Gardiner discusses the ethics of climate change from intergenerational, political, and personal perspectives. Should individuals feel bad for using plastic straws or eating meat? How can older generations make up for "a massive failure in leadership" that has led, in part, to the current crisis?
For the latest climate ethics analysis from Carnegie Council, subscribe to the Carnegie Ethics Newsletter
Who Should Represent Future Generations in Climate Planning?
Morten Fibieger Byskov and Keith Hyams ask the question: Who should represent the interests of future generations with respect to climate change?
They argue that the policy choices made today will affect the degree to which global temperatures rise or fall and how prepared future economies will be to handle those changes. As such, the interests of future generations are central to climate ethics and policy.
Off-site Resources
Declaration of Ethical Principles in Relation to Climate Change
This UNESCO declaration expresses the concern of UNESCO Member States that climate change could create morally unacceptable damage and injustice.
ReadThe Ethics of Climate Change
The University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government explores the moral responsibilities that climate change presents.
Read3 Recent Diplomatic Wins for Climate Justice — and What Comes Next
The United Nations Foundation details cases of growing solidarity among UN Member States in delivering hopeful signs of progress on climate action.
ReadEthics and Global Climate Change
Download Stephen M. Gardiner's foundational 2004 article on climate ethics.
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