The Ethics of Climate Change, Climate Policy and Climate Justice

Abstract

The fossil fuel industry is the driving force behind our current carbon-centric socioeconomic systems. The industry has imposed fossil fuel-dependent business models and behaviours on the global socioeconomic system. The actions and plans of the industry are far from being aligned with the 1.5°C target set by the Paris Agreement. Moreover, they remain overlooked in the global climate discourse and negotiations. This paper builds its arguments starting from a moral issue: climate change is an ethical failure, and the industry has had a unique role in causing, shaping, advancing, and defending the current unsustainable fossil fuel-dependent global economy, and thus bears responsibility and has duties of reparation to limit consequent harm. This paper examines the various moral principles of rectifying the unjust situation created by the actions that produced climate change. Although the Paris Agreement assigns responsibilities to states, climate lawsuits against fossil fuel companies are also on the rise. This paper helps link legal frameworks and the relationship between climate justice, sustainable development, and environmental human rights to make radical, systemic changes to ensure a sustainable future.

Povzetek

Industrija fosilnih goriv je gonilna sila naših sedanjih družbeno-gospodarskih sistemov, ki so osredotočeni na ogljik. Ta industrija je v svetovni družbeno-gospodarski sistem uvedla poslovne modele in vedenje, ki so odvisni od fosilnih goriv. Ukrepi in načrti industrije še zdaleč niso usklajeni s ciljem 1,5 °C, določenim v Pariškem sporazumu. Poleg tega ostaja spregledana v svetovnem podnebnem diskurzu in pogajanjih. Ta članek gradi svoje argumente, izhajajoč iz moralnega vprašanja: podnebne spremembe so etična napaka, industrija pa je imela edinstveno vlogo pri povzročanju, oblikovanju, pospeševanju in obrambi sedanjega netrajnostnega svetovnega gospodarstva, odvisnega od fosilnih goriv, zato nosi odgovornost in dolžnost povračila škode, da bi omejila posledično škodo. V tem prispevku so obravnavana različna moralna načela za odpravo nepravičnega stanja, ki je nastalo zaradi dejanj, ki so povzročila podnebne spremembe. Čeprav Pariški sporazum odgovornost nalaga državam, so v porastu tudi podnebne tožbe proti podjetjem za fosilna goriva. Prispevek pomaga povezati pravne okvire in razmerje med podnebno pravičnostjo, trajnostnim razvojem in okoljskimi človekovimi pravicami za korenite sistemske spremembe, ki bodo zagotovile trajnostno prihodnost.