Abstract
This chapter approaches a crucial ethical question: How should we respond to climate change? To begin, I sketch some of the impacts that climate change will have on human health. Then I consider who will be most vulnerable to these impacts. People’s vulnerability will depend on their temporal position, geographical location, social position, and on qualities of the society in which they live. Since some people and generations are more vulnerable to the risks of climate change, while other people and generations contribute more to the problem, climate change raises deep issues about justice. After noting why and where issues of justice arise, I focus attention on ethical issues about responsiveness, responsibility, and ethical change. I consider how people who are differently situated should respond to the current situation. Many people, especially in countries with high emissions, need to change the way they live: the technologies that they use, the social practices and institutions they participate in, and the habits and virtues that they embody. These are some of the social, political, and ethical changes that climate change calls for.
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Notes
- 1.
In this chapter, I draw on some ideas from a previous publication (Dwyer 2013).
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Dwyer, J. (2016). Climate Change and Ethical Change. In: Macpherson, C. (eds) Bioethical Insights into Values and Policy. Public Health Ethics Analysis, vol 4. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26167-6_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26167-6_3
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