Deck 15: The Ethics of Climate Change

Question 1

Climate scientists say the planet is heating up because of

A) the sun's proximity to the earth.
B) natural processes.
C) the greenhouse effect.
D) cyclical changes.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Climate change and global warming are controversial mostly because of their _______
And policy implications.

A) political
B) scientific
C) academic
D) economic

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The evidence that global warming is human-caused is

A) minor.
B) debatable.
C) not a cause for concern.
D) extensive.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Heilbroner believes that rational arguments can have _______ people's attitudes toward climate change.

A) a significant impact on
B) little impact on
C) a lot to do with
D) behavioral impact on

Question 5

The two traditions of moral and political theorizing Gardiner discusses are social contract theory and

A) virtue theory.
B) utilitarianism.
C) deontology.
D) egoism.

Question 6

In Gardiner's "perfect storm" metaphor, the three problems (storms) are obstacles to our ability to behave

A) politically.
B) effectively.
C) practically.
D) ethically.

Question 7

Once emitted, molecules of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, typically persist in the atmosphere and contribute to warming for

A) weeks.
B) months.
C) centuries.
D) days.

Question 8

According to Gardiner, the biggest obstacle to effective action regarding climate change is

A) lack of economic resources.
B) lack of adequate information.
C) political disagreement.
D) our own complacency.

Question 9

Moral duties fall into two broad classes: duties of _______ and duties of goodness or beneficence.

A) following rules
B) honesty
C) promoting kindness
D) justice

Question 10

Broome points out that emissions are not in the category of

A) accidental harms.
B) moral wrongs.
C) dangers to the planet.
D) injustices.

Question 11

Broome argues that the harms done by the emissions of the rich are

A) easily avoidable.
B) less harmful than those done by the emissions of the poor.
C) not fully reciprocated.
D) equal to those done by the emissions of the poor.

Question 12

Broome argues that the most effective way of reducing your emissions to zero is to _______ the emissions that you cause.

A) reciprocate
B) cancel or offset
C) calculate
D) contribute to

Question 13

According to Broome, preventive offsetting is

A) impossible.
B) expensive.
C) immoral.
D) cheap.

Question 14

Pareto improvement is defined as a situation in which it would be _______ to make some people better off without making anyone worse off.

A) morally acceptable
B) technically possible
C) impossible
D) unlikely

Question 15

Heilbroner expresses outrage at some commentators' callous disregard for

A) animals.
B) developing countries.
C) future people.
D) people of the past.

Question 16

Heilbroner says that to the question of why we should care about future generations, there is

A) no possible response.
B) no rational answer.
C) a rational answer.
D) a logical response.

Question 17

Heilbroner says that some economists argue which of the following, regarding people of a distant future?

A) We have a duty of beneficence toward them.
B) We have no reason to sacrifice now for them.
C) We must assume that they will never exist.
D) We must regard them as family.

Question 18

Heilbroner states that no rational argument will lead him to

A) dismiss posterity.
B) ignore posterity.
C) work against posterity.
D) care for posterity.

Question 19

The issue of climate change is both a scientific question and a moral question.

Question 20

Climate scientists say the planet is heating up because of the greenhouse effect.

Question 21

Effects resulting from climate change that scientists had predicted in the past have not yet started occurring.

Question 22

Climate change and global warming are controversial mostly because of their political
and policy implications.

Question 23

Reductions in the burning of fossil fuels would have little impact on the economic, commercial, and industrial systems that now run on those fuels.

Question 24

The evidence that global warming is human-caused is extensive, consistent, and multidimensional.

Question 25

Scientists have not been able to link increases in carbon dioxide directly to human activities.

Question 26

Heilbroner writes that humans care a great deal about how they can impact climate change.

Question 27

Heilbroner believes that rational arguments can have a significant impact on people's attitudes toward climate change.

Question 28

Gardiner believes that the global environmental tragedy is most centrally an ethical failure.

Question 29

Gardiner's "perfect storm" metaphor involves the unusual intersection of a number of serious and mutually reinforcing problems, which creates an unusual and perhaps unprecedented challenge.

Question 30

Once emitted, molecules of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, typically persist in the atmosphere and contribute to warming for centuries.

Question 31

According to Gardiner, the biggest obstacle to effective action regarding climate change is our own complacency.

Question 32

According to Broome, climate change creates duties within the spheres of both public and private morality.

Question 33

Broome believes it is never morally permissible to harm someone.

Question 34

Broome claims that the duty of goodness requires you to reduce your emissions significantly.

Question 35

Broome claims that your carbon footprint ought to be zero unless you make restitution.

Question 36

Emissions of greenhouse gas constitute an externality, meaning that the person who causes the gas to be emitted does not bear this cost.

Question 37

To show that we should care about future people, Heilbroner appeals to inner conscience.

Question 38

Heilbroner thinks that rational argument should carry more weight than religious convictions or humanistic concerns when considering issues of obligations to posterity.

Question 39

Heilbroner argues that we have no reason to sacrifice for the unknown future.

Question 40

Explain how the issue of climate change is both a scientific question and a moral question.

Question 41

What are some of the moral questions related to climate change?

Question 42

What does Heilbroner say about the ability for rational arguments to impact our attitudes toward posterity? Do you agree with him? Explain.

Question 43

Do you think you have a moral duty to future generations? To the planet? Defend your response with reasons.

Question 44

What two traditions of moral and political theorizing does Gardiner discuss? How do they play a role in his argument?

Question 45

Gardiner says that in setting out his account of the global environmental tragedy, he will be taking for granted a number of claims that he does attempt to justify. What are these claims? Do you agree that they can be taken for granted? Explain.

Question 46

Explain Gardiner's "perfect storm" metaphor.

Question 47

On what aspects of attitudes toward climate change do Gardiner and Heilbroner agree? Give specific examples from each reading.

Question 48

What are the two classes or moral duties explained by Broome? Give examples in your answer.

Question 49

Explain the nonidentity problem discussed by Broome. How does it relate to his argument?

Question 50

What are the seven different characteristics of the harm done by our emissions discussed by Broome? Do you agree with the characteristics of his distinctions?

Question 51

Do you agree with Broome's claim that your carbon footprint ought to be zero unless you make restitution? Explain.

Question 52

Discuss the ways in which we can make restitution for our carbon footprints discussed by Broome? Which do you find most convincing? Least convincing? Explain.

Question 53

How does the economic concept of efficiency relate to Broome's discussion of climate change?

Question 54

How does the economic concept of externality relate to Broome's discussion of climate change?

Question 55

Broome writes: "I understand why the political process aims toward Optimum rather than Compensation." What does he mean? Explain what is meant by 'optimum' and 'compensation' in the context of Broome's discussion.

Question 56

Why should we care about future generations? How would you answer Heilbroner's question, "Why should I lift a finger to affect events that will have no more meaning for me seventy-five years after my death than those that happened seventy-five years before I was born?"

Question 57

Do you agree with Heilbroner that there is "no rational answer to that terrible question?" Defend your answer.