The public and private morality of climate change

Abstract

Moral duties related to climate change are divided into duties of justice and duties of goodness. Duties of justice are owed to specific individuals, and they are more important for individuals than governments. For instance, each individual’s emissions of greenhouse gas harm people, and this constitutes an injustice that can be avoided by offsetting one’s carbon footprint. On the other hand, governments have a duty of goodness that requires them to make the world better for their citizens, and this duty requires them to act on climate change. The economic inefficiency caused by climate change could be eliminated by removing externalities without requiring any sacrifice on the part of the current generation. However, it is more optimal for the current generation to sacrifice some resources to benefit future generations. Governments should focus on achieving the latter by creating economic institutions that support the necessary borrowing. – AI-generated abstract