Non-ideal climate justice

Abstract

Based on three recently published books on climate justice, this article reviews the field of climate ethics in light of developments of international climate politics. The central problem addressed is how idealised normative theories can be relevant to the political process of negotiating a just distribution of the costs and benefits of mitigating climate change. I distinguish three possible responses, that is, three kinds of non-ideal theories of climate justice: focused on (1) the injustice of some agents not doing their part; (2) the policy process and aiming to be realistic; and (3) grievances related to the transition to a clean-energy economy. The methodological discussion underpinning each response is innovative and should be of interest more generally, even though it is still underdeveloped. The practical upshot, however, is unclear: even non-ideal climate justice may be too disconnected from the fast-moving and messy climate circus.

Responsibility for climate justice: Political not moral

“…These challenges resonate with the growing literature on non-ideal theories of climate justice that seek to reconcile ideal theories of climate justice with political reality (e.g. Brandstedt, 2019; Heyward and Roser, 2016; Sayegh, 2018). The challenges raised in this section overlap with two of Brandstedt’s (2019) three non-ideal conditions: partial compliance and realism.…”

“…Brandstedt, 2019; Heyward and Roser, 2016; Sayegh, 2018). The challenges raised in this section overlap with two of Brandstedt’s (2019) three non-ideal conditions: partial compliance and realism. For example, Caney’s (2005, 2016) discussion of non-compliance addresses the execution challenge.…”

Climate Vulnerability, Justice, and Financing Nexus: A Case For Optimizing Climate Interventions

“…Although developing countries are the worst hit by climate change impacts, mitigation, and adaptation measures tend to be hampered by inadequate financial resources (Islaim, 2020; Brandstedt, 2019). Meanwhile, the general flow of global climate finance tends to find its way to those areas that are not relatively in dire need and vulnerable positions which raises the question of distributional equity (Islaim, 2020).…”

Energy Justice For Real

“…Removing this obstacle has recently been identified as a priority within the field (Jenkins et al, 2021;Qian et al, 2022). Applied philosophy can play an important role in the process of better informing decision-makers (Brandstedt, 2019).…”

“…In many discussions about climate justice, mitigation (and in many cases also adaptation) efforts are considered the responsibility of everyone, with a particular focus on the role of individuals. 79 Climate justice research draws from liberal egalitarian theories of justice and often aims at addressing questions of fair distributions, both of burdens and benefits (Brandstedt, 2019). The liberal-egalitarian theories of justice, in particular distributive justice, on which much of climate ethics is based, tend to overlook the role of power, referring to it only implicitly.…”