Philosophical Foundations of Climate Change Policy

Despite scientific consensus that the growing climate change problem is human caused, there remains staunch disagreement about what exactly to do about it. In this course, we will explore and evaluate the ethical commitments that lie at the heart of arguments for and against specific climate change policies. For instance, we will ask questions like the following: Should carbon taxes be the primary tool for addressing climate change? Should we develop and deploy technologies like carbon removal and solar geoengineering? Or should policy be focused on encouraging smaller lifestyles and producing and consuming less overall? We will engage with these questions by critically assessing both the philosophical literature on climate change ethics and justice as well as policy documents such as the Green New Deal.



Britta Clark is a P.h.D Candidate in the Philosophy at Harvard University. Her dissertation focuses on intergenerational justice and the ethics of emerging climate technologies such as carbon capture and solar geoengineering./