With the constant threat of climate change looming over the world, there is a need for a proposal that can adequately deal with climate change. Current measures seem inadequate to deal with climate...Show moreWith the constant threat of climate change looming over the world, there is a need for a proposal that can adequately deal with climate change. Current measures seem inadequate to deal with climate change. Therefore, a radical change is needed and this can be achieved through degrowth and sufficientarianism. This thesis finds that implementing degrowth in combination with sufficientarianism is better equipped to deal with climate change and the distributional issues it raises, than other proposals such as green growth. Degrowth makes sure that we abide by the earth’s ecological ceiling, while sufficientarianism ensures that everyone has enough and that current resources will be justly distributed.Show less
This bachelor thesis undertakes a normative analysis of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) within the framework of climate distributive justice and focuses on the European Union's position. The...Show moreThis bachelor thesis undertakes a normative analysis of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) within the framework of climate distributive justice and focuses on the European Union's position. The research reveals a misalignment between the current provisions of the ECT and climate distributive principles. Corporations are granted significant autonomy for self-regulation through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the current climate regime, which leads to unjust distributions of climate burdens. Through an in-depth examination of the text of the treaty this thesis proposes a formal regulatory approach that emphasizes states’ legislative responsibility. This approach aims to bridge the gap between current ECT provisions and climate distributive justice imperatives, ensuring a more equitable distribution of climate burdens among corporations and state actors. The thesis outlines a strategic pathway for the EU to address these issues, emphasizing the necessity for an amendment of the ECT. The proposed amendments call for a re-evaluation of the treaty's provisions to align with climate distributive justice principles and hold states accountable for more rigorous legislative measures. The analysis further concludes that, given the urgency of climate action, the EU should expedite its departure from the ECT if the proposed amendments are not implemented. By advocating for a comprehensive re-evaluation and amendment of the ECT, this research contributes to the discourse on climate distributive justice. The proposed changes seek to ensure that international energy agreements adhere to distributive justice principles, promoting a more equitable global climate regime.Show less
While the number of cross-border climate migrants is increasing, their legal protection remains fragmented. Examining the idea of expanding the 1951 UN Refugee Convention to include climate...Show moreWhile the number of cross-border climate migrants is increasing, their legal protection remains fragmented. Examining the idea of expanding the 1951 UN Refugee Convention to include climate migrants, I conclude that their situation is different from those of political refugees in a morally relevant sense, which entitles them to a new kind of protection. Based on that conclusion, I develop a just protection framework for climate migrants, which sets out migrants’ rights and the duties of states that are associated with granting these rights. The proposed framework particularly focuses on migrants’ agency and procedural justice since both highly contribute to the relocation’s success. To mitigate possible feasibility constraints, because of states’ lack of willingness to implement such a framework, I introduce a market system which allows states to trade the responsibility to host climate migrants in the form of “migrant quotas”, thereby giving them more flexibility. However, since such a market approach would undermine migrants’ agency, I propose a matching system, which matches migrants’ preferences about where to move, with states’ non-discriminatory preferences about what migrants they are willing to accommodate.Show less
With the increasing and unprecedented threat of climate change, the ethical frameworks guiding climate policies and shaping the way humans relate to nature need urgent review. The publishing of...Show moreWith the increasing and unprecedented threat of climate change, the ethical frameworks guiding climate policies and shaping the way humans relate to nature need urgent review. The publishing of Bryan Norton’s (1991) ‘Convergence Thesis’, which purports the idea that both anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric approaches converge at the level of practical policy proposals, made some issues in environmental ethics appear resolved and gave much more force to weak anthropocentrism. Consequently, weak anthropocentrism largely became the standard by which environmental policies were measured and justified. However, this thesis finds that the ‘Convergence Hypothesis’ and it’s weak anthropocentrist foundations are flawed (1) at a practical level, as there is divergence; (2) at the ethical level, as the weak anthropocentric position promoted by the Convergence Hypothesis would support bad policies, and (3) at the conceptual level, as weak anthropocentric attempts to articulate why undesirable policies shouldn’t be supported would mean the position collapses into non-anthropocentrism. Thus, concluding that non-anthropocentric, or more specifically ecocentric, valuations of nature will best enable policies that meet today’s demands of climate change.Show less
This thesis looks at the compatibility of statism with principles of distribution of climate change costs. Two strands of statism are analysed, communitarianism and institutionalism, in relation to...Show moreThis thesis looks at the compatibility of statism with principles of distribution of climate change costs. Two strands of statism are analysed, communitarianism and institutionalism, in relation to three principles of distribution of costs, the Polluter Pays Principle (PP), the Beneficiary Pays Principle (BP) and the Ability to Pay Principle (AP). This thesis focusses on statism because its applicability to climate change is understudied in the climate justice literature. The main argument is that statism is only partially compatible with some of the principles of distribution of costs. Institutionalists are only partially compatible with the PP and the AP but not with the BP. Communitarianism on the other hand, is applicable to all three principles but always to a limited extent.Show less
Climate urgency forces the international community to quickly find efficient mitigation strategies. In my thesis I argue that the international community should use carbon labels as a long-term,...Show moreClimate urgency forces the international community to quickly find efficient mitigation strategies. In my thesis I argue that the international community should use carbon labels as a long-term, complementary mitigation strategy. Carbon labels fight global warming on the individual level. Many people do not know that their emissions contribute to the aggregation of global emissions that cause global warming. Carbon labels help to inform people about their carbon footprint and accordingly their impact on climate change. They remind them of their environmental duty to lower their carbon footprint. As carbon labels operate on the individual level and do not tackle systemic issues such as overconsumption, they should only be used as a complementary strategy. As it might take some time until consumers start to follow the guidance of the carbon label, they should be approached as a long-term strategy.Show less
The moral rights of nature, and especially the rights of ecosystems, have been difficult to establish within the conceptual boundaries of traditional moral theories. Underlying assumptions of...Show moreThe moral rights of nature, and especially the rights of ecosystems, have been difficult to establish within the conceptual boundaries of traditional moral theories. Underlying assumptions of interests and individuality, as well as complications with adequately defining ecosystems, have culminated into what I call the ecosystem dilemma. In this thesis, I argue that these ontological and ethical problems can be resolved by employing Indigenous traditional knowledge (TK), represented by Mi'kmaq concepts such as netukulimk. By expanding our ways of thinking about the world and our place within it, we can break the ecosystem dilemma. Utilizing the Mi'kmaq's holistic approach to the environment supports the case for the moral concern of ecosystems. Yet, no single point of view should dominate the discussion – the 'map of moral concern' aims to collect different concepts that are to be used in coadjuvancy to resolve moral dilemmas. Cooperation can be achieved by combining values (traditional Western thinking) and employing two-eyed seeing (Mi'kmaq TK). My thesis tries to showcase the value of immersing oneself fully in a different way of thinking to resolve well-documented problems – essentially this is an argument for radical openmindedness to ultimately strengthen the concept of moral rights of nature.Show less
The Beneficiary Pays Principle (BPP) describes a method for distributing the costs of climate change, in this case among those who benefit, directly or indirectly, from emissions. Such distributive...Show moreThe Beneficiary Pays Principle (BPP) describes a method for distributing the costs of climate change, in this case among those who benefit, directly or indirectly, from emissions. Such distributive principles are essential in determining where the moral responsibility for climate harm lies, and how this harm is best addressed. This thesis proposes a concise answer to what exactly BPP ought to mean, explaining how it could be applied to different agents, including individuals. Working from this definition, this research creates a theoretical basis for developing workable policies, using a carbon tax as a basis. To this end, I discuss the impact of consumer behavior on climate change and the problems which stem from disregarding the consumption and emissions of individuals. I also examine the different approaches to using BPP, focusing on the question “could BPP be applied to individual actions?” I discuss the possibility of implementing a carbon tax as the ideal way to put this interpretation into practice and conclude that BPP forms a necessary basis for globally addressing climate harm.Show less
