Coping with Climate Change: What Justice Demands of Surfers, Mormons, and the Rest of us

Toward a Small Family Ethic

“…According to business as usual predictions, we may see a further 150 % rise in acidity by the year 2100, which would bring oceans to a pH level not seen in more than 20 million years (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, n.d. ) 3 This line of thinking was originally inspired byFruh and Hedahl ( 2013 ); the following explication of various ways that one can 'play a role' in systematic harms somewhat parallels that described in(Hedahl, Fruh, & Whitlow, 2016 ). According to business as usual predictions, we may see a further 150 % rise in acidity by the year 2100, which would bring oceans to a pH level not seen in more than 20 million years (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, n.d. ) 3 This line of thinking was originally inspired byFruh and Hedahl ( 2013 ); the following explication of various ways that one can 'play a role' in systematic harms somewhat parallels that described in(Hedahl, Fruh, & Whitlow, 2016 ).…”

Climate Ethics with an Ethnographic Sensibility

“…However, the range, role and significance of different contextual factors has not been systematically studied. Instead, recent contributions to the literature have tended either to suggest that nothing more determinate can be said about our personal responsibilities or that personal consumption responsibilities can only be judged on a 'contextsensitive' 'case-by-case' basis (Baatz 2014, 10;Fragniere 2016, 809;Fruh and Hedahl 2013;Raterman 2012;Hedberg 2018). We acknowledge that moral theorising is not algorithmic and may not even be determinate but it seems premature to give up on this practically important area of study in climate ethics.…”

Climate change and individual duties

“…One possible answer to this question is that individuals are entitled to have a life of their own and that life projects of particular importance and legitimate expectations must be taken into account. 84,93,95,96 Thus, under such a view certain persons could be allowed to fly to Mecca for religious reasons, whereas taking the same flight for sheer touristic reasons would not be morally justified. u For some writers, the claim that religious or professional or familial aspirations can override the life-threatening consequences of climate change is justified by the idea that taking part in producing a collective harm is less bad than causing it directly like in cases of face-to-face harm infliction.…”

“…u For some writers, the claim that religious or professional or familial aspirations can override the life-threatening consequences of climate change is justified by the idea that taking part in producing a collective harm is less bad than causing it directly like in cases of face-to-face harm infliction. 96 Another option to limit the scope of individual duties, akin to the fair share argument mentioned earlier, is to claim that duties amount to what individuals would be expected to do under a just collective agreement, and not more. This position holds in particular that individuals have no obligation to take up the slack left by noncompliers.…”