* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Eco-Footprints and Climate Cnange: The Perfect Moral Storm
Soon and Baliunas controversy wikipedia , lookup
Climate resilience wikipedia , lookup
Climate change mitigation wikipedia , lookup
Heaven and Earth (book) wikipedia , lookup
Economics of climate change mitigation wikipedia , lookup
ExxonMobil climate change controversy wikipedia , lookup
2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference wikipedia , lookup
Low-carbon economy wikipedia , lookup
Climate change denial wikipedia , lookup
Mitigation of global warming in Australia wikipedia , lookup
Global warming controversy wikipedia , lookup
Climatic Research Unit documents wikipedia , lookup
Fred Singer wikipedia , lookup
Climate change adaptation wikipedia , lookup
Climate engineering wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in Tuvalu wikipedia , lookup
Climate governance wikipedia , lookup
Climate sensitivity wikipedia , lookup
Global warming hiatus wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming on human health wikipedia , lookup
Citizens' Climate Lobby wikipedia , lookup
General circulation model wikipedia , lookup
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change wikipedia , lookup
Physical impacts of climate change wikipedia , lookup
Global warming wikipedia , lookup
Climate change and agriculture wikipedia , lookup
Media coverage of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Economics of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Attribution of recent climate change wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in the United States wikipedia , lookup
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme wikipedia , lookup
Instrumental temperature record wikipedia , lookup
Solar radiation management wikipedia , lookup
Scientific opinion on climate change wikipedia , lookup
Climate change feedback wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming on humans wikipedia , lookup
Politics of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Climate change and poverty wikipedia , lookup
Public opinion on global warming wikipedia , lookup
Surveys of scientists' views on climate change wikipedia , lookup
Business action on climate change wikipedia , lookup
Climate Justice The Moral Imperative William E. Rees, PhD, FRSC UBC School of Community and Regional Planning Climate Change Impacts on Bangladesh: Global Responsibilities UBC Liu Institute, 9 December 2009 The Global Climate is Changing Mean global temperature has increased .8 C° over the last century. Wind and rainfall patterns are shifting. Deserts are spreading. Glaciers are melting. Sea levels are rising (80% faster than predicted). The Arctic Ocean will be ice free decades ahead of ‘schedule’. Humans are Probably (90%) “At Cause” Climate is primarily determined by non-human factors, (e.g., solar output and shifting ocean currents). There have been no changes in these factors sufficient to explain ongoing temperature increases and related impacts. By contrast, human activities have significantly increased atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Carbon dioxide is up 38% from a preindustrial 280 parts per million to 388 ppm today. Other GHGs have climbed proportionately even more. The CO2 increases alone are more than sufficient to account for the observed warming effects. Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide: A 38% anthropogenic increase since the 19th Century Rate of increase (ppm/year) 1970-79: 1.3 ‘Safe’ is less than 350 ppm CO2e 1990-99: 1.5 2000-07: 2.3 (This exceeds the IPCC worst case scenario and is accelerating!) Global T has risen 0.8°C in 125 yrs °C Green bars show 95% confidence intervals Upward trend continues; 2005 was a new record; we’re at 0.8°C above 1880-1900 average; 0.5°C since 1970. J. Hansen et al., PNAS 103: 14288-293 (26 Sept 2006) Recent findings turn the screws “Reframing the climate change challenge in light of post-2000 emission trends” To stabilize GHGs at even 650 ppmv CO2e, the majority of OECD nations must begin to make draconian emission reductions soon (within a decade). Unless we can reconcile economic growth with unprecedented rates of decarbonization (in excess of 6% per year), this will require a planned economic recession. 650 ppmv CO2e implies a catastrophic 4 degree C mean global temperature increase. (Anderson and Bows. 2008. Phil.Trans. R. Soc. A doi:10.1098/rsta.2008.0138) Harbinger of Future Extremes: Australia (Jan-Feb 2009) Context: The income gap – steadily increasing Social Justice and the Income Gap Eco-Apartheid is the effective segregation of people along environmental gradients. Eco-apartheid is a contemporary reality—the poor and ethnic minorities are forced to inhabit the most degraded urban settlements and rural landscapes on Earth. These areas are increasing affected by pollution, resource depletion and the effects of climate change, all driven by excess consumption, usually elsewhere. Developing countries will be hit hardest and can least defend themselves 5% or more of the world’s people (350,000,000) are likely to be displaced from their settlements by sealevel rise (Stern report, 2006). This could be 2 billion or more with 4 C degrees warming. In any case: Up to two billion people worldwide will face water shortages and up to 30 per cent of plant and animal species would be put at risk of extinction if the average rise in temperature stabilises at 1.5C to 2.5C (IPCC, Sept 2007) Impacts and Morality The Age of Consequences (November 2007) Washington, Center for Strategic and International Studies “We predict an [inevitable] scenario in which people and nations are threatened by massive food and water shortages, devastating natural disasters and deadly disease outbreaks” (John Podesta, contributing author). Rich countries could “go through a 30-year process of kicking people away from the lifeboat” as the world’s poorest face the worst environmental consequences” (Leon Fuerth, contributing author). With Knowledge, Responsibility Wealthy consumers who are ignorant of the distant systemic consequences of their material habits might be excused. However,... Once we raise to collective consciousness the link between consumption, climate change and eco-violence, society has an obligation to view such violence in the appropriate light. Not acting to reduce or prevent avoidable ecoinjustice converts erstwhile blameless consumer choices into acts of aggression. The Common Law Negligence law focuses on compensation for losses caused by unreasonable conduct. Unreasonable conduct is taken to mean: the failure to do something that a reasonable person would do (or doing something that a reasonable person would not do). In short, fault may be found even in the case of unintended harm if the latter results from careless or unreasonable conduct. Criminal Code of Canada Everyone is criminally negligent who (a) in doing anything, or (b) in omitting to do anything that it is his duty to do, shows wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons (where “duty” means a duty imposed by law). A person commits homicide when, directly or indirectly, by any means, he causes the death of a human being, by being negligent (Section 222[5][b], emphasis added). Extending the Moral Logic There is no prima facie moral reason why the behavioural standards imposed by international law should not be as rigorous as those required by domestic law. If human-induced climate change is a cause of death and destruction, then are not countries like Canada and the United States guilty of “wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons” in, for example, their failure to act effectively to reduce their profligate fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions? “Ottawa dashes hope for treaty in Copenhagen” (Headline, Globe and Mail 23 October 2009) On Responsibility: What the Science Says “Industrialized world reductions in material consumption, energy use, and environmental degradation of over 90% will be required by 2040 to meet the needs of a growing world population fairly within the planet’s ecological means” (BCSD 1993). For sustainability with equity, North Americans should be taking steps to reduce their ecological footprints by 80% to their equitable Earth-share (1.8 gha) (Rees 2006). Urban-Centered Bioregionalism: Ultimate Our Contemporary Design and Life-Style Goals Conundrum Achieve ‘quasi-sustainability’—an equitable eco-footprint of two hectares per capita. Spatially reintegrate ecology and economy, production and consumption, living and working, of city and hinterland. ‘The ecologically necessary is support functions of the ecosphere. politically unfeasible but It’s an old idea echoing Geddes, Mumford and the The regional eco-city, ‘… ratheris than being merely the site of politically feasible ecologically consumption, might, through its very design, produce some ofirrelevant. its own food and ’ energy, as well as become the locus of Stop being a parasite on, and become a contributor to, the life- work for its residents’ (Van der Ryn and Calthorpe 1986). Be the change! Thank You