Essay: The Ethics Of Climate Change

We are embarking on another Christmas season. People are deciding what to purchase, who they will be purchasing for, and what amount they will be spending; more emphasis on the former than the latter. Manufacturers have increased production to accommodate the purchases. Retailers, online and brick and mortar, have stocked their shelves, increased staff and extended store hours in hopes of being the place the consumers will go to purchase those must haves. With all the thought being put into giving and getting, no thought, if any, is given to what affect these things are having on climate change. What is climate change and why is it an ethical problem? These questions will be addressed. The virtue ethics response along with the feminist ethics of care will be compared and contrasted. The assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of the responses will be evaluated. …show more content…
Although the climate system is a global commons, the consequences and the costs of climate change do not fall on all nations and all parts of the globe equally (The Ethics of Climate Change, 2008). In order to deal with the problem of climate change and create policies, judgments about what is fair, equitable, and just have to be considered. When dealing with what is fair, principled understanding of the differing rights and obligations of the developed and developing countries. All countries are not the same size and do not equally contribute to the Harmful effects of climate change nor do they equally have the voice and resources as to how the problem will be tackled. Who has the moral-and legal- right, on behalf of all nations, to tinker with the entire global environment (The Ethics of Climate Change, 2008)? When dealing with fairness, we have to take into account that the decision we take now may affect the unborn. Our future generations have been condemned to deal with the resulting climate