Climate Change
Climate Change and the Power to Act: An Ethical Approach for Practical Progress
The editors of Ethics & International Affairs organized a roundtable on climate change leadership and justice for the 2018 ISA convention. Access the audio and transcript of the full discussion here.
ISA 2018 Roundtable: Climate Change and the Power to Act
The editors of Ethics & International Affairs are pleased to announce that the journal has organized a roundtable for the 2018 International Studies Association (ISA) annual convention in San Francisco. Please refer to this page for all details and materials related to the panel.
The Need for Governance of Climate Geoengineering
In this essay, Janos Pasztor explains some of the major ethical issues surrounding geoengineering and introduces the Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Initiative, a major new effort to catalyze conversation on geoengineering governance, bringing together players from a wide range of social, geographical, and professional backgrounds.
Carbon Emissions, Stratospheric Aerosol Injection, and Unintended Harms
In this article, Christopher J. Preston compares the culpability for any unintended harms resulting from stratospheric aerosol injection versus culpability for the unintended harms already taking place due to carbon emissions. To make this comparison, both types of unintended harms are viewed through the lens of the doctrine of double effect.
The Comparative Culpability of SAI and Ordinary Carbon Emissions
In this response, Holly Lawford-Smith points to the issue of agency in Christopher J. Preston’s analysis. She argues that while the harms of geoengineering will be caused by culpable agents acting intentionally, the harms connected to climate change emerge out of the uncoordinated actions of billions of people.
Bringing Politics into SAI
In this response, Sikina Jinnah and Douglas Bushey unpack the political implications of some of Christopher J. Preston’s assumptions and framing decisions in an effort to add a layer of practical richness to the abstraction of his analysis.
Calculating the Incalculable: Is SAI the Lesser of Two Evils?
Mike Hulme responds to Christopher J. Preston, questioning whether it is possible to determine and quantify climate harms and to distinguish forensically between their causes.
Climate Engineering and the Playing God Critique
The “playing God” critique charges that humans should not undertake to control nature in ways that overstep the proper scope of human agency. In this article, Laura M. Hartman explores the way this critique is used with respect to geoengineering, and concludes that climate interventions should be based on contextual awareness and responsive, communal responsibility.
