The pivotal generation : why we have a moral responsibility to slow climate change right now / Henry Shue.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shue, Henry, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Climate change mitigation.

Environmental policy--United States.

Environmental policy.

Environmental ethics.

Climatic changes--Forecasting.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (208 pages)

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey ; Oxford : Princeton University Press, [2021]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

An eminent philosopher explains why we owe it to future generations to take immediate action on global warmingClimate change is the supreme challenge of our time. Yet despite growing international recognition of the unfolding catastrophe, global carbon emissions continue to rise, hitting an all-time high in 2019. Unless humanity rapidly transitions to renewable energy, it may be too late to stop irreversible ecological damage. In The Pivotal Generation, renowned political philosopher Henry Shue makes an impassioned case for taking immediate, radical action to combat global warming.Shue grounds his argument in a rigorous philosophical analysis of climate change’s moral implications. Unlike previous generations, which didn’t fully understand the danger of burning carbon, we have the knowledge to comprehend and control rising carbon dioxide levels. And unlike future generations, we still have time to mitigate the worst effects of global warming. This generation has the power, and thus the responsibility, to save the planet. Shirking that responsibility only leaves the next generation with an even heavier burden—one they may find impossible to bear.Written in direct, accessible language, The Pivotal Generation approaches the latest scientific research with a singular moral clarity. It’s an urgently needed call to action for anyone concerned about the planet’s future.

Contents:

Cover

Contents

Preface

1. The Pivotal Generation: "You Are Here"

Illusions of Separation

The Context That Makes Us Pivotal

Arbitrary Demands?

Unique Historical Period, Incomparable Moral Responsibility

Heavier Burdens

Unlimited Threats

Tipping Points

Conclusion

2. The Presence of the Past

Owning Our National Past

Disowning Our National Past

The Pure Fairness Argument

The Wrongful Imposition Arguments

3. Engagement across Distance and Engagement across Time

The Phenomenology of Agency

The Danger of Transition

Contemporary "Strangers" and the Affordability of Alternative Energy

Future "Strangers" and Tipping Points

The Date-of-Last-Opportunity to Prevent Disaster

Further Reasons? Past Sacrifice, Hope, and Continuity

4. Are There Second Chances on Climate Change?

Fix It Later?

Contrasting Purposes of CO2 Removal

Scaling Up in Time?

Bequeathing Risks

The Reversible and the Irreversible

5. Taking Control of Our Legacy

Powerful Enemies, Allied Masses

Planning the "Final Harvest": Deceptive Delay

Enabling the "Final Harvest": Banks' BAU

Preventing the "Final Harvest": The Active Many vs. the Ruthless Few

Acknowledgments

Appendix on Inequality

Notes

Index.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes index.

ISBN:

9780691226262

0691226261

9780691220079

0691220077

9780691226255

0691226253

OCLC:

1245960372