Climate Change, Human Rights and the Problem of Motivation

Authors

  • Michel Bourban University of Lausanne, Switzerland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3384/de-ethica.2001-8819.141137

Keywords:

Climate change, Human rights, Realism, Motivation, Incentives

Abstract

In this paper, I discuss some of the human rights that are threatened by the impact of global warming and the problem of motivation to comply with the duties of climate justice. I explain in what sense human rights can be violated by climate change and try to show that there are not only moral reasons to address this problem, but also more prudential motives, which I refer to as quasi-moral and non-moral reasons. I also assess some implications of potentially catastrophic impacts driven by this ecological issue. My aim is to locate, by outlining a normative perspective based on sound empirical findings, urgent climate injustices, and explain why well-off citizens in developed countries have strong reasons to avert the potentially massive violation of the rights of present and future victims of climate change.

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Published

2014-03-31

How to Cite

Bourban, M. (2014) “Climate Change, Human Rights and the Problem of Motivation”, De Ethica, 1(1), pp. 37–52. doi: 10.3384/de-ethica.2001-8819.141137.

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