Development Ethics and the Copenhagen Accord: How Important Are the Global Poor?

摘要

As human activity continues to change the global climate, serious harms befall and will increasingly continue to befall the world's most vulnerable people. Whether one measures human development by economic growth, human rights, or (as the United Nations does) by human capabilities, global climate change is and will likely continue to be an enormous tragedy. Rising sea levels, increased drought, desertification and other phenomena connected with climate change will significantly hinder efforts to improve human well-being, to realize human potential in safe and clean environments, to provide economic and political freedoms, to create fair and just forms of governance, and to allow people to lead dignified and fulfilling lives. The poor in developing nations will suffer first and will likely suffer the most, especially if developing nations also face restrictive limits on their greenhouse gas emissions. Yet these nations lack historic responsibility for global warming or the present capability to mitigate damages or adapt to impending changes.