{"id":3735,"date":"2024-08-09T11:04:30","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T11:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/?p=3735"},"modified":"2024-08-09T11:04:30","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T11:04:30","slug":"the-ethics-of-the-climate-crisis-by-robin-attfield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/2024\/08\/09\/the-ethics-of-the-climate-crisis-by-robin-attfield\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Ethics of the Climate Crisis\u2019 by Robin Attfield"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3736 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ethics-of-the-Climate-Crisis-189x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"189\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ethics-of-the-Climate-Crisis-189x300.jpg 189w, https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ethics-of-the-Climate-Crisis-200x318.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ethics-of-the-Climate-Crisis-400x636.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ethics-of-the-Climate-Crisis-600x954.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ethics-of-the-Climate-Crisis-644x1024.jpg 644w, https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ethics-of-the-Climate-Crisis-768x1221.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ethics-of-the-Climate-Crisis-800x1272.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ethics-of-the-Climate-Crisis-966x1536.jpg 966w, https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ethics-of-the-Climate-Crisis.jpg 1059w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 189px) 100vw, 189px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Polity, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>ISBN: \u200e<\/strong><strong>\u00a0978-1509559091<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Reviewed by Brian Jackson<br \/>\n_____________________________________________________________________________________<br \/>\n<\/em><\/strong>One of the aims of GreenSpirit is to honour the web of life.\u00a0 I have read many books on the climate crisis but this one is different in that it explores the moral reasons to take action, not only for humans but for all living beings.\u00a0 Robin Attfield also looks at the obligations not just to present beings but also to future generations.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly all of you who read this review will accept that climate change is a serious threat to our own generation and to those to come.\u00a0 The book gives a thorough review of the science of climate change and how, combined with related issues such as biodiversity loss and air pollution, they comprise a single emergency.<\/p>\n<p>However accepted climate change is, it is argued that it is far from being accepted that we are ethically obliged to take action. Here, the ethical case is presented for action to be taken at all levels including international organisations, governments, companies and us as individual citizens.\u00a0 The author points out that we are failing as citizens if we assume our Government have these matters in hand when they are focusing on other issues to the effective exclusion of the climate emergency. It is also a dereliction if governments agree to contribute to international climate objectives but then do not take them into account in their policies.\u00a0 If we take a role as a campaigner, sign petitions and lobby, this book leaves us well informed to do so. Other ethical decisions we can all make relate to our lifestyle choices such as the frequency of flying and the installation of solar panels.<\/p>\n<p>The book is a rich resource, wide ranging in its topics, looking at issues such as \u2018should current and future interest conflict\u2019, \u2018the precautionary principle\u2019,\u2019 offsetting\u2019 and the introduction of a law to recognise the crime of Ecocide.\u00a0 Importantly, there is a chapter devoted to the victims of climate injustice and the shape of climate justice.\u00a0 This deals with human and also non-human victims.<\/p>\n<p>Robin Attfield argues there is still hope with the partial success of COP over the years, the setting up of a loss and damage fund, the plan to secure 30% of continents and oceans for wildlife and for related international funding.\u00a0 He gives more tangible evidence such as the restoration of wild species: the red kite first to Wales then to England, the golden eagle to Scotland, the osprey to the lakes of the UK as a whole, all of which can be built on further.<\/p>\n<p>The book concludes with the motivations for the commitment to solve our global problems.\u00a0 There is an awareness of the need to act before it\u2019s too late, the value and awareness of and commitment to the flourishing of human and non-human life. Inspiration will continue to arise from love of life on Earth and the well grounded hope that it can be perpetuated in all its diversity.<\/p>\n<p>The book is a significant contribution and resource to the major task of our generation.<\/p>\n<p>Robin Attfield is an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Cardiff University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Polity, 2024 ISBN: \u200e\u00a0978-1509559091 Reviewed by Brian Jackson _____________________________________________________________________________________ One  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,12,13,14,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","category-philosophy","category-politics","category-practical","category-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3735"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3737,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3735\/revisions\/3737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenspirit.org.uk\/bookreviews2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}