Dickinson to Durban » Archive
How to Balance Climate Justice with Collective Responsibility?
Everyone is responsible for the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that contribute to global climate change, but some much more so than others. In an atmosphere that doesn’t care whether GHGs come from the rich or the poor, how do we balance the need for drastic emissions reductions with a mutually agreeable sense of fairness? In chapter five of their book A Climate Injustice, Roberts and Parks explain four approaches from which to consider the question of fairness: grandfathering, carbon intensity, historic responsibility, and emissions per capita. Each perspective has differing implications for developed countries (the global North) and developing countries (the global South). Grandfathering allows a country to make its GHG reductions relative to a baseline from their past emissions. The Kyoto Protocol is an example, as countries agreed to reduce … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Key COP17 Issues
Rethinking the Nation State and its Role in Climate Governance
Global problems like global climate change are typically seen to require global solutions. And the actors typically seen to be responsible for these global problems are the nation-states that constitute the global system. Bulkeley and Newell challenge this assumption in their book Governing Climate Change, arguing against the view that “the nation-state is the only or necessarily most important unit of climate politics” (p. 4). While I certainly agree that a “nation-state” is an inadequate unit of analysis when construed simply as the sovereign government of a state, I prefer to rethink the understanding of the nation-state rather than discredit its importance. In support of their argument, Bulkeley and Newell demonstrate the need to expand the view of the nation-state, suggesting an alternative view of the state as “a dynamic system … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
Only Collectivism Can Save the Climate
What can each of us do in our daily lives to reduce environmental harm? For many years now, the environmental movement has dedicated itself to providing answers to this question: recycle, drive less, plant a tree, and the list continues. Greenpeace has even put together the handy guide “How to Save the Climate”, which provides a large range of actions one can take to make your contribution. If everyone just did their own part, we could save the planet. Right? Not quite. While recycling and planting trees are definitely activities we should encourage, they will not save the planet. All of these actions are ways for an individual to reduce the harm he or she causes to the environment – the problem, however, is that individuals are not killing the planet, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
Tactics of Last Resort: From Peaceful to Violent Protest
Mandela had long supported non-violent protest against apartheid. In 1961, however, he co-founded the MK to act as the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He arrived at this striking reversal in methods only because it was forced upon him. Events like the Sharpeville Massacre, where police used lethal force on peaceful protesters, and the banning of the ANC in 1960 convinced Mandela that the anti-apartheid movement was at risk of utter defeat unless it resorted to violence. Despite the circumstances, Mandela was committed to avoiding any human casualties in his new efforts. Thus, he planned to begin with acts of sabotage that targeted buildings rather than people. This was an important strategic decision, as it would undermine the power of the system without brining condemnation upon them for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Summer Reading Responses
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