Identifying ethical dimensions of climate change

Climate change infringes upon various human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, water, and shelter. It amplifies existing disparities and disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups, such as low-income communities, indigenous peoples, and small island developing states.

Hence, a more effective approach to addressing climate change involves conceptualising it as a collective challenge with diverse facets necessitating clear commitments. Ethics play a fundamental role in any such commitment. Serving as a catalyst, ethics can guide action, facilitate negotiation, reconcile conflicting interests, and establish priorities.

Ethics possess the potential to bridge theory and practice, overarching principles and political determination, as well as global consciousness and local initiatives. In November 2015, UNESCO declared six ethical principles of climate change.

1. Prevention of harm: To better anticipate, avoid, or minimise the consequences of climate change and implement responsible and effective policies to mitigate and adapt to climate change through low greenhouse gas emissions initiatives and promotion of transnational co-operation to foster climate resilience.
2. Precautionary approach: Do not postpone the adoption of measures to anticipate, prevent, minimise, or mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on the grounds of a lack of definitive scientific evidence.
3. Equity and justice: Respond to climate change in a way that benefits all, in a spirit of global partnership, justice, and equity. The interaction of people and ecosystems is particularly important, given the high dependence of one upon the other. Allow those who are unjustly affected by climate change (due to insufficient measures or inadequate policies) to access judicial and administrative proceedings, including redress and remedy.
4. Sustainable development: Adopt new paths for development that make it possible to sustainably preserve our ecosystems, while building a more just and responsible society that is more resilient to climate change. Special attention must be paid to areas where the humanitarian consequences of climate change can be dramatic, such as food, energy, water insecurity, the oceans, desertification, land degradation, and natural disasters, especially to vulnerable groups.
5. Solidarity: Support, individually and collectively, the people and groups most vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters, particularly in the least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS). Strengthen timely co-operative action in various areas, including technology development and transfer, knowledge sharing, and capacity building.
6. Scientific knowledge and integrity in decision making: Strengthen the interface between science and policy to optimally aid decision making and the implementation of relevant long-term strategies, including risk prediction. Promote the independence of science and widely disseminate its findings to as many people as possible, for the benefit of all.

Activity

Activity 6.2. Indicate any three ethical dimensions of climate change.