Stewardship or Sacrifice: The Science of Climate Change

The first session at the Stewardship or Sacrifice conference offered an overview of the facts of climate change from a panel of Penn State scientists, as well as a response from Don Brown on the ethical implications of these facts. The panel noted that atmospheric greenhouse gas levels have increased significantly, that this increase has been caused by emissions from fossil fuels, and that humans are changing the climate. These matters are known with a high level of certainty. There were also interesting discussions of the sociology and economics of climate change. The panel closed by calling for more consideration of the ethical implications of climate change, especially since it threatens many persons in countries least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.

In his comments, Don Brown reiterated the panel’s call for taking seriously the ethics of climate change. In particular, he noted that climate change has ramifications not only for economic self-interest but also for moral responsibility and obligation. Persons who emit high levels of greenhouse gases not only cause potential economic damage to themselves but also are responsible morally for the harms those gases cause for others elsewhere in the world. Those of us who are responsible for such climate change have a moral responsibility to address it, whether through mitigating our emissions, paying for the adaptation costs of affected countries, or compensating victims.

The conference continues tonight (Oct. 7th) with a keynote address by Michael Mann at 7:00, as well as a full day of panels and workshops tomorrow. The conference is taking place at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center and is open to the public.