Key Issues in Climate Change and Sustainability: Ethics, Politics and Policy – serie

Geoengineering increasingly appears to be crucial for future climate policies. Societies and governments throughout the world have so far failed to sufficiently curb greenhouse gas emissions necessary for averting dramatic global warming and climate change. This book introduces readers to the concepts and methods of climate engineering by presenting the techniques and risks, as well as the political and ethical issues. This timely text tackles topics such as arguments for and against altering the climate on purpose, the uncertainties of those technologies, the hurdles of international coordination, and the duties towards future generations. Landes engages with global cases, encompassing reforestation efforts; prevention of runaway planetary warming; and avoidance of climate catastrophe. Distinctive features of the book include:Situating climate engineering within the context of the AnthropoceneSetting up an evaluative framework used for assessing climate engineering methods thoroughly from three angles: feasibility, permissibility, and, preferabilityA taxonomy of the different methods of climate engineering: carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management, each with dedicated chaptersA structured and critical review of the different justifications for and oppositions to climate engineering R&D as well as deploymentEngineering and Governing the Climate: Ethical and Political Issues is an essential read for all those working in environmental studies, climate policy, and building a sustainable future.

Geoengineering increasingly appears to be crucial for future climate policies. Societies and governments throughout the world have so far failed to sufficiently curb greenhouse gas emissions necessary for averting dramatic global warming and climate change. This book introduces readers to the concepts and methods of climate engineering by presenting the techniques and risks, as well as the political and ethical issues. This timely text tackles topics such as arguments for and against altering the climate on purpose, the uncertainties of those technologies, the hurdles of international coordination, and the duties towards future generations. Landes engages with global cases, encompassing reforestation efforts; prevention of runaway planetary warming; and avoidance of climate catastrophe. Distinctive features of the book include:Situating climate engineering within the context of the AnthropoceneSetting up an evaluative framework used for assessing climate engineering methods thoroughly from three angles: feasibility, permissibility, and, preferabilityA taxonomy of the different methods of climate engineering: carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management, each with dedicated chaptersA structured and critical review of the different justifications for and oppositions to climate engineering R&D as well as deploymentEngineering and Governing the Climate: Ethical and Political Issues is an essential read for all those working in environmental studies, climate policy, and building a sustainable future.

Geoengineering increasingly appears to be crucial for future climate policies. Societies and governments throughout the world have so far failed to sufficiently curb greenhouse gas emissions necessary for averting dramatic global warming and climate change. This book introduces readers to the concepts and methods of climate engineering by presenting the techniques and risks, as well as the political and ethical issues. This timely text tackles topics such as arguments for and against altering the climate on purpose, the uncertainties of those technologies, the hurdles of international coordination, and the duties towards future generations. Landes engages with global cases, encompassing reforestation efforts; prevention of runaway planetary warming; and avoidance of climate catastrophe. Distinctive features of the book include:Situating climate engineering within the context of the AnthropoceneSetting up an evaluative framework used for assessing climate engineering methods thoroughly from three angles: feasibility, permissibility, and, preferabilityA taxonomy of the different methods of climate engineering: carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management, each with dedicated chaptersA structured and critical review of the different justifications for and oppositions to climate engineering R&D as well as deploymentEngineering and Governing the Climate: Ethical and Political Issues is an essential read for all those working in environmental studies, climate policy, and building a sustainable future.

Concerns for future human wellbeing play a central role in climate change debate and policy making but have received scarce attention in climate change ethics. Gratifying Transitions: Maintaining Wellbeing in the Face of Climate Change remedies this by considering whether and how we can live a good and satisfying life under constraints caused by climate change. Drawing on behavioral psychology and theories of self-cultivation, the author argues that green transition requires that we work actively with wellbeing, as moral beliefs, knowledge about climate change, or new understandings of the relationship between humans and nature are unlikely to bring about the necessary changes in behavior. Contrary to a widespread view, the author further argues that subjective wellbeing rather than basic needs satisfaction is the most appropriate notion of wellbeing for addressing climate change issues. The book contains both detailed philosophical arguments and concrete guidelines for how to foster a transition to more sustainable, but still sufficiently rewarding, ways of living, individually as well as collectively.

Moral Disagreement and Climate Change addresses the following problem: Assume, first, that our excessive production of Greenhouse Gases contributes significantly to what may be very serious detrimental effects on our climate and hence our welfare. Solving this issue will inevitably be costly. Assume, furthermore, that we disagree reasonably about how to distribute costs, and how to conceive of the moral problem of climate change to begin with. How can we make progress in the light of this reasonable disagreement? The author argues that we can learn from two related but distinct schools of thought in contemporary philosophy: the idea of conciliationism (when a peer that is equal to you in terms of knowledge about some domain disagrees, you have reason to find compromises) and the idea of public reason (only policies or rules that are, at some level of idealization, acceptable to all can be justified.) Via these two ideas, the author analyzes various important aspects of climate change and suggests that we can find ways to address the issue that are indeed justifiable to all. Disagreement does not mean paralysis.