Transcript What is ethic or ethics? - IEF - International Environment

Climate Ethics:
A Bahá’í Perspective
Based on the initial considerations of the
Bahá’í International Community paper entitled
“Seizing the Opportunity: Redefining
the Challenge of Climate Change”
Authoritative assessments that global warming is :
“unequivocal and directly linked to human
activity” (IPCC);
constitutes the “widest-ranging market failure
ever seen” (Stern Review) ; and
represents the “defining human development
challenge of the 21st century” (UNDP)
seized the attention of governments & peoples alike
Effects of Climate Change
Extreme flooding,deaths from
disease, intense storms
damages homes and villages
and causes deaths and disease
Droughts have adverse
impacts on agriculture
Social disputes are caused by
diminishing natural resources
and the destruction of water
supplies
“Material civilization is
like unto the lamp, while
spiritual civilization is the light
in that lamp. If the material and
spiritual civilization become united,
then we will have the light and the lamp
together, and the outcome will be perfect.
For material civilization is like unto a beautiful
body, and spiritual civilization is like unto
the spirit of life. If that wondrous spirit
of life enters this beautiful body,
the body will become a channel
for the distribution and
Development of the
Perfections of
humanity.”
‘Abdu’l-Baha, the Promulgation of Universal Peace.
ETHICAL QUESTIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
What level of
greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere
Who is
should the world
community identify as responsible for
the consequences
a target?
of climate
change?
Should some
countries be
allowed to
generate more
carbon dioxide per
capita? If so,
which ones?
Is it fair to prevent
some countries
from developing the
way others have in
the past?
Who should
pay for the
damages ?
What is an ethic
or ethics?
A set of principles of right
conduct
Rules or standards
governing conduct
The study of moral
principles and appropriate
conduct
“the field of philosophical
inquiry that examines
concepts and their
employment about what
is right and wrong,
obligatory and nonobligatory, and when
responsibility should
attach to human actions
that cause harm.”
White Paper on the Ethical Implications of Climate
Change, p. 7.
Why is it important
to address climate change ethically?
An ethical understanding highlights what is really at stake and
goes right to the heart of the problem
Consideration of ethical dimensions often helps leaders to
see common ground and a way forward. Including ethical issues
in discussion forces values out into the open so that they can be
discussed and debated.
Including ethical issues forces values into the open so they
can be discussed and debated.
An ethical way of looking at things lends importance to the
voices of those who are vulnerable or negatively impacted
because in an ethical context those voices are highly relevant
“There are spiritual principles, or what some call human
values, by which solutions can be found for every social
problem. Any well-intentioned group can in a general
sense devise practical solutions to its problems, but
good intentions and practical knowledge are usually not
enough. The essential merit of spiritual principle is that it
not only presents a perspective which harmonizes with
that which is immanent in human nature, it also induces
an attitude, a dynamic, a will, an aspiration, which
facilitate the discovery and implementation of practical
measures. Leaders of governments and all in authority
would be well served in their efforts to solve problems if
they would first seek to identify the principles involved
and then be guided by them.”
Universal House of Justice, The Promise of World Peace
Bahá’í
Contribution
Humanity is at the threshold of a tremendous
opportunity,
This is the opportunity to transition from a statecentered mode of interacting on the world stage
to a mode rooted in the principle of the oneness
of humanity,
Adherence to the oneness of humanity has
implications for the survival of all people,
Nations must expand their understanding of who
belongs to their community so that it includes
people in other nations and future generations
Current Efforts
Scotland passed a
landmark law that
requires a 42% cut in
greenhouse gas
emission by 2020,
rising to 80% by 2050
The Bahá’í
International
Community works
closely with the Global
Gender and Climate
Alliance.
The Bahá’í International Community is closely
engaged with the subject of climate change at
the international level
The Bahá’í
International
Community’s
initiated
a call to the leaders
of the world to bring
their attention to the
ethical and moral
dimensions of
climate change
“The inward life of man as well as his
outward environment have to be reshaped if
human salvation is to be secured.”
“No movement in the world directs its
attention upon both these aspects of human
life and has full measures for their
improvement, save the teachings of
Baha’u’llah. And this is its distinctive
feature. If we therefore desire the good of
the world we should strive to spread those
teachings and also practice them in our own
life.”
Shoghi Effendi, Compilation of Compilations Vol. 1, p.48