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The Ethics of Climate Change: Right and Wrong in a Warming World (Think Now) Paperback – March 21, 2008

by James Garvey (Author, Series Editor), Jeremy Stangroom (Series Editor)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
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"Open this book and James Garvey is right there making real sense to you... in a necessary conversation, capturing you to the very end."-Ted Honderich, Grote Professor Emeritus of The Philosophy of Mind & Logic, University College London, UK.

James Garvey argues that the ultimate rationale for action on climate change cannot be simply economic, political, scientific or social, though our decisions should be informed by such things. Instead, climate change is largely a moral problem. What we should do about it depends on what matters to us and what we think is right.

This book is an introduction to the ethics of climate change. It considers a little climate science and a lot of moral philosophy, ultimately finding a way into the many possible positions associated with climate change. It is also a call for action, for doing something about the moral demands placed on both governments and individuals by the fact of climate change. This is a book about choices, responsibility, and where the moral weight falls on our warming world.

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Previous page
  1. Part of series
    Think Now
  2. Print length
    186 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Continuum
  5. Publication date
    March 21, 2008
  6. Dimensions
    5.06 x 0.4 x 7.81 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0826497373
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0826497376
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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"[With this book] you don't get the feeling of being hectored by a preachy green, but rather of being addressesd like the intelligent adult that you are...Witty without being frivolous, explanatory but never condescending, engaging and challenging in equal measure, this book should become a campus classic." - Jonathan Webber, The Philosophers' Magazine

"In this outstanding book, Garvey (Royal Institute of Philosophy, UK) takes a position on global warming that is fair-minded and supported by compelling reasons. In the first chapter he argues that global warming is occurring, that human activities have contributed significantly to this process, that it will have detrimental effects on people, and that the evidence for all this is largely beyond question within the scientific community. The remainder of the book makes a case for the claim that both individuals and nations, particularly economically privileged ones, have a moral obligation to ameliorate this situation. Garvey offers an excellent discussion of general moral issues such as responsibility, justice, and choice and their relation to global warming. He also presents a forceful rebuttal of the views that ethics is irrelevant and "merely" subjective. The concluding chapters propose concrete practices and policies that are morally required in response to global warming. Garvey's arguments are clear and unencumbered with jargon...this book will be extremely helpful to anyone who wants a lively introduction to this topic. Summing Up: Highly Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers." -M.A. Michael, CHOICE, November 2008

'This book offers an excellent and "capturing" (Honderich) introduction to the ethics of climate change.' - Ethical Perspectives

'When I canvassed my carbon-management masters students on their favourite climate change books ... plaudits came in for ... James Garvey's Ethics of Climate Change ... [one of a few] recently published, well-written books that increase understanding and provoke debate' - Nature

"Essential reading for anyone interested in the urgent moral questions raised by our climate crisis." - Mark Lynas, Author of Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet

"Garvey's book explores the philosophical implications of, and for, this issue."
Mentioned in Times Higher Educational Supplement, 24 January 2008

"It's an excellent book to think with: Garvey has a delicious style, often very funny, and a trick of ushering the reader right inside his thought experiments." - Stephen Poole, The Guardian

"Open this book and James Garvey is right there making real sense to you. A new philosopher doing logic in the world. In a necessary conversation, capturing you to the very end." - Ted Honderich, Grote Professor Emeritus of the Philosophy of Mind & Logic, University College London, UK.

"The Ethics of Climate Change is a model of philosophical reasoning about one of the greatest moral challenges any generation has ever faced. If you don't yet know why you should be morally outraged about the present situation, read this book. Calmly, carefully, with well-marshalled facts and sound argument, Garvey shows us just how badly the nations of the industrialized world - and the citizens of those nations - are behaving. He also tells us what we need to do about it." - Peter Singer, Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, University Center for Human Values, Princeton University and Laureate Professor, University of Melbourne, Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics.

"Written in plain English, Garvey's excellent book makes accessible to the reader the ethical issues surrounding global warming, and the literature too. It should figure on all relevant reading lists." - Robin Attfield, Professor of Philosophy, Cardiff University, UK

About the Author

James Garvey is Secretary of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, UK. He is the author of The Twenty Greatest Philosophy Books and The Ethics of Climate Change,also published by Continuum.

Jeremy Stangroom is co-editor, with Julian Baggini, of The Philosophers' Magazine and co-author of Do You Think What You Think You Think? (Granta, 2006), What Philosophers Think and Great Thinkers A-Z. He and Ophelia Benson are co-authors of Why Truth Matters and The Dictionary of Fashionable Nonsense (Souvenir, 2004).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Continuum; 1st edition (March 21, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 186 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0826497373
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0826497376
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.06 x 0.4 x 7.81 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

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James Garvey

James Garvey

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James Garvey is the Managing Director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy and the Editor of The Philosophers' Magazine. You can find out more at https://www.jamesgarvey.online/

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
24 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

GourMay
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and stimulating read!
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2008
In today's avalanche of books and manuals on climate change who all want to be your best friend and show you `THE truth', this book stands out not only for its refreshing outlook but also for its crystal clear facts. The author has evidently done his homework, and not just on Aquinas or Aristotle but also on the tangible scientific data which is the only way for us to have an objective look at today's situation ; this is truly a multi-disciplinary effort.

Let me put it simply, this book is a very straight-forward, well-written and rather different (at least when it came out) approach to the issues of climate change. Rather than guilt-tripping us into saving the Earth (which has largely been the media's strategy) for economical, scientific or 'just-because-we-say-you-should' reasons, James Garvey presents a variety of interesting arguments mainly, but not exclusively-sourced in the field of moral philosophy through topics like choice, government, responsibility (to name a few). The question presented here isn't so much `is global warming our fault ?' but, `why should we care and where does the responsibility lie ?'

Having read some of the author's previous works, I would further emphasize how well-written this work is and add that of the many philosophy books I have read, his writing is never pompous and he doesn't resort to sensationalist claims (he doesn't need to anyway), making the topics he researches, deeply enjoyable explorations for the reader.

The book thankfully falls short of becoming another of those 'the idiot's guide to...'/pop-philosophy books which are sometimes far too simplistic. Nevertheless, the author's arguments are informed by good examples which can make sense today, to those who aren't always well-versed in philosophical debates and issues, while still captivating the interest of those who are.

While this is clearly a call to action, don't expect 180 pages of brainwashing.

A worthy read and purchase which I recommend, even to those who are dubious about climate change, its cause and whether or not it is truely going on.
15 people found this helpful
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Cumin
4.0 out of 5 stars Ethics
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2009
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Accessible in terms of the science of climate change and the ethics. A bit too wonkish for the public in terms of ethical reasoning -- seemed more like an ethics course lecture in places. I am an ethics teacher and if I were teaching a course this book would be considered as a text.
5 people found this helpful
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Maggie G
3.0 out of 5 stars Wanting Numbers
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2015
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The book itself has its shortcomings, but the digital reproduction of it is the main issue. Some words are clearly incorrectly transcribed, and the text is missing punctuations throughout the 6 chapters. Also, working with this text in a classroom setting is made difficult because no page numbers are available. Destinations can be found in the text, but the numbers I think refer to words, not pages. I cannot even select to go immediately to a specific chapter. That would also be an improvement. Please add page numbers! It makes citing Garvey near impossible.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent primer for knowledge that should be global.
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2013
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A very good book, and one that spells out the basics of ecological ethics. My own view is more strident. I wish I had bought Garvey's book in hardback, in order to make more of an impact when bounced off of the heads of climate-change deniers.
One person found this helpful
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David Dillard-Wright
4.0 out of 5 stars Simple but accurate and effective
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2013
I have used this book many times in my classes. I think that it conveys the science with just enough detail to present the problem but without making it so complicated that the eyes-glazed-over look begins. Garvey also summarizes some of the conventional ethical approaches to climate change and why they tend to fail with regard to a problem of this scope and scale. His examples work very well in the classroom and provoke discussion. I have tried some more dense texts in both philosophy and science, and none have worked as well as this one. Even specialists will find it to be a refreshing read because of its clarity.
3 people found this helpful
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Dr. P. R. Lewis
1.0 out of 5 stars Flawed arguments
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2012
I read this book with interest for the light that a contemporary philosopher might shed on a controversial subject, but was sorely disappointed. Garvey, first of all, ignores counter-evidence from distinguished scientists like Robert Carter, Professor Lindzen and Ian Plimer. He also ignores the growing body of evidence which shows that the world is in fact cooling (and has been for the past decade). He accepts without questioning the various IPCC reports, naively ignoring the evidence that they have been mis-reporting such issues as melting of the Himalayan glaciers, the alleged destruction of the Amazonian rain forests and the area below sea level in Holland just to name three howlers from the latest report. He also ignores one root problem about "consensus": the term is inapplicable to science simply because science is about verifiable information, and theories can be destroyed very quickly by new evidence. Many natural philosophers have found themselves in trouble for questioning the consensus of their times (Galileo, and more recently, Wegener come to mind). The latest recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics is yet another example: he found that some crystals showed non-repeating long range order, but his first papers were rejected time after time by learned journals. Another example concerns eugenics, the object of which was to "improve" the human species by sterilizing those alleged to be weak or feeble-mined or otherwise mentally disabled. It was supported by a consensus of biologists and others in the early 20th century, but came to an horrific conclusion in The Holocaust when the principles of eugenics were carried through to their logical conclusion. AGW or anthropogenic global warming is rather similar, but this time, is supported by highly questionable computer models of the climate. The proponents of these models predict warming but the predictions are sensitive to the data used for analysis, and in fact accurate data is only very recent. The data was also kept secret for a long time, breaking all ethical rules of science, as the Climategate scandal demonstrated. The models do not account for the problem of clouds (which reflect the suns rays but which can also act as a blanket under different circumstances), and atmospheric water vapour is difficult to model as well. Water vapour is much more important as a greenhouse gas than CO2, but yet is downplayed or ignored in such models. So Garvey's understanding of the science is totally flawed, and all his deductions of the ethics which follows the first chapter are thus flawed as well. As a philosopher, Garvey should read or re-read Septimus Empiricus for the philosophy of scepticism, and the adoption of suspended judgments. As for alleged solutions, most large manufacturing countries have all rejected the IPCC reports and the many attempts to limit their carbon industries, especially China, India and the USA. China is an outstanding example of an under-developed nation which has revolutionised the quality of life of its citizens by its own energy. Now the likes of Garvey are willing to sacrifice other developing countries in his zeal for unproven theories. The carbon taxes imposed by the EU are at this very moment helping to make the current economic crisis far worse by the elimination of cheap energy sources, and putting EU industries at risk.

I cannot recommend this book at all, and suggest that readers looking for truth or reason should look elsewhere: the writings of Plimer, Carter and Lindzen provide a good starting point.
7 people found this helpful
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Jerry Jones
4.0 out of 5 stars Good information
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2009
I enjoyed the book. The author has good insights and a keen ability of helping the reader understand the ethical dilemma of American consumption and entitlement issues.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

I. Sillitoe
5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent, thought provoking, highly accessible
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2008
Verified Purchase
I'll place my reviewing credentials up front: I'm no philosopher, or hardcore environmental activist for that matter - the main reason for buying this was because I very much enjoyed one of Garvey's previous books ( Twenty Greatest Philosophy Books ).

Garvey's writing style is very accessible and (remarkably considering the weight of the subject matter) often very amusing. Far from being "baby-talk" or "patronising" (words I was extremely surprised to hear mentioned in other reviews), this book has a way of guiding you through complex philosophical arguments and counter-arguments with great clarity and ease. You often feel more like you are engaged in a discussion rather than reading a book as he regularly prods the reader to stop and think.

The book first provides a brief account of the field of ethical philosophy then summarises the strength of the evidence for global warming. Personally, I'm surprised that anyone still regards the idea of man-made climate change in any way controversial, however the book employs peer-reviewed scientific observations and well-reasoned arguments to dispel any lingering doubts.

It is then argued that if we accept a certain level of accountability for climate change and this climate change has caused/is causing/will cause human hardships (all of which you'll find very difficult to argue against), we all have a personal moral obligation to take action and the book provides a summary of what those appropriate responses may be.

In conclusion, I found that having the argument moved from a general "Yes, it's rubbish but it doesn't matter what we do, we're all doomed" to clear, logical reasoning stating our personal moral obligation to take action has genuinely impacted on my day-to-day actions.

Highly recommended.
3 people found this helpful
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B. Hudson
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2010
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I think this is a great little book. It's thought provoking and clearly and skillfully written.
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M. J. Goodman
3.0 out of 5 stars Some good points made ... though could go further
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
Not bad ... Its voice is clear, but I honestly hoped for more from the title. My problem is clearly with moral philosophy rather than its useful climate change take: it felt too discursive, when in fact there is so much direct action needed. I read it all though, so three stories for the clarity of the writing which pulled me through.
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