Fall 2010 (24.3) Feature

The Ethical Implications of Sea-Level Rise Due to Climate Change

Does humanity have a moral obligation toward the estimated millions of individuals who will be displaced from their homes over the course of this century primarily due to sea-level rise as the earth's climate warms? If there are indeed sound reasons for the world to act on their behalf, what form should these actions take?

This paper discusses the disproportionate accumulation, delayed effects, and asymmetrical impacts arising from the release of greenhouse gases, and advances ethical arguments concerning why and how the global community of nations can address the injustices caused by historic and continuing actions on these climate migrants and climate exiles.

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More in this issue

Fall 2010 (24.3) Feature

Kicking Bodies and Damning Souls: The Danger of Harming "Innocent" Individuals While Punishing "Delinquent" States

Institutions can be assigned duties, and thus can also be blamed for failing to discharge them. But how can we respond to this type of ...

Fall 2010 (24.3) Review

New Perspectives on Liberal Peacebuilding, edited by Edward Newman, Roland Paris, and Oliver P. Richmond

This edited volume moves beyond the more common analyses of what works and what does not in building sustainable peace in order to raise deeper ...

Fall 2010 (24.3) Review

United Nations Justice: Legal and Judicial Reform in Governance Operations by Calin Trenkov-Wermuth

Calin Trenkov-Wermuth's "United Nations Justice" provides a thoughtful and useful contribution to the understanding of how UN governance operations have evolved.