Moral Theory and Climate Change : Ethical Perspectives on a Warming Planet

Climate change has become the most pressing moral and political problem of our time. Ethical theories help us think clearly and more fully about important moral and political issues. And yet, to date, there have been no books that have brought together a broad range of ethical theories to apply them systematically to the problems of climate change. This volume fills that deep need. Two preliminary chapters—an up-to-date synopsis of climate science and an overview of the ethical issues raised by climate change—set the stage. After this, ten leading ethicists in ten separate chapters each present a major ethical theory (or, more broadly, perspective) and discuss the implications of that view for how we decide to respond to a rapidly warming planet. Each chapter first provides a brief exposition of the view before working out what that theory “has to say” about climate change and our response to the problems it poses. Key features: • Up-to-date synopsis of climate science • Clear overviews of a wide range of ethical theories and perspectives by leading experts • Insightful discussions of the implications of these theories and perspectives for our response to climate change • A unique opportunity to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of various ethical viewpoints.