ENE452 Seminar: Climate Change and Ethical Challenges

• Topics

  The course consists of lectures and student group work.

  The following topics are relevant for discussion in lectures and student groups: - ethical perspectives of climate change - ethics and the precautionary principle - research & science ethics - ethics of science-policy interactions - ethics and geoengineering - climate science and social values - various ethical cases/questions

• Learning outcome

  Knowledge

  Upon successful completion the student

  • knows some basic ethical theories
  • knows the basics of climate change and related ethical challenges
  • is familiar with intergenerational aspects and challenges of climate change
  • is familiar with uncertainty and policy issues of global warming - knows geoengineering principles and related ethical issues

  Skills

  upon successful completion the student

  • can discuss and reflect on ethical questions of climate change
  • can apply basic ethical theories to climate change challenges

  General competences

  upon successful completion the student

  • has practice preparing and discussing ethical problems in small and large groups
  • has in-depth insight into some of the ethical challenges of climate change

• Teaching

  One week long intensive course with lectures and student group activities.

• Requirements for course approval

  Full attendance is mandatory.

• Assessment

  Group presentation (5-8 students in each group) on given topic.

• Grading Scale

  Pass / fail.

• Literature

  GARDINER ET AL. (2010), Climate Ethics (Oxford University Press)

  JOHN BROOME (2012), Climate Matters (Norton)

  SIMON CANEY (2005), Cosmopolitan Justice, Responsibility, and Global Climate Change, Leiden Journal of International Law, Vol. 18, pp. 747¿775

  STEPHEN M. GARDINER (2006), A Perfect Moral Storm: Climate Change, Intergenerational Ethics and the Problem of Moral Corruption, Environmental Values, Vol. 15, pp. 397¿413

  DALE JAMIESON (1992), Ethics, Public Policy, and Global Warming, Science Technology Human Values, Vol. 17, pp.139¿153

  TIM HAYWARD, Human rights vs. emission rights: Climate justice and the equitable distribution of ecological space

  DESMOND MCNEILL, Ethics, Politics, Economics and the Global Environment

  KIRSTEN ULSRUD, LINDA SYGNA AND KAREN O¿BRIEN (2008), More than rain: Identifying Sustainable Pathways For Climate Adaptation And Poverty Reduction

  SILVIO FUNTOWICZ, ROGER STRAND (2007), Chapter 16: Models of Science and Policy

  KJETIL ROMMETVEIT, SILVIO FUNTOWICZ, ROGER STRAND, Knowledge, democracy and action in response to climate change

  CHRISTOPHER J. PRESTON (2013), Ethics and geoengineering: reviewing the moral issues raised by solar radiation management and carbon dioxide removal, WIREs Climate Change, Vol. 4, pp. 23-37.