Climate Change and the Paris Agreement
Climate change is the greatest threat facing the planet today. The massive nature of the problem saw nearly 200 countries come together in Paris to develop a road map that would see most of them increase their efforts to cut on greenhouse gas emissions. The major resolutions at the Paris conference required that countries make efforts to keep global temperatures below 2.0oC above the pre-industrial period, limit the level of greenhouse emissions and review the efforts by each country every five years to improve the challenge (Briggs).
Obama's Clean Power Plan
The then president of the United States, Barrack Obama, gave an assurance that his country would enact strong and legally sound policies to cut on greenhouse gas pollution. On August 3, 2015, Mr. Obama announced the Clean Power Plan that would reduce greenhouse emissions through the establishments of carbon pollution standards. The ambitious plan incentivizes the development of clean energy through a clean energy initiative program. However, the supreme court halted the implementation of the plan with others arguing that the implementation would negatively affect the industry, jobs and energy independence (Supreme Court's Blow To Emissions Efforts May Imperil Paris Climate Accord). Others argued that the United States does not have a moral obligation to combat global warming as claimed by the then President, Barrack Obama. At the end, Obama's plan on cutting greenhouse gas emissions were shelved as President Donald Trump led the U.S withdrawal from the Paris accord. We have a moral obligation to future generations to leave our wildlife, water and land better then we found it as well as ensure our actions does not affect the lives of others.
The Principle of Nonmaleficence
The ethical principle of nonmaleficence states that we have an obligation not to harm others. The principle further states that where harm cannot be avoided, we have an obligation to ensure that the harm is minimized. The United States with its big industries, cars and blasting air conditioners has contributed the most to the harmful emissions that is scorching the planet. The major role played by the U.S. in creating global warming obligates it and its citizens to take ambitious actions towards curbing global warming. Global warming has played a major role in the death and sickness among people in the world. The Northern parts of Kenya have been walloped by four severe droughts in the last two decades due to the actions of the U.S and other states (Sengupta). The continued greenhouse emissions by the U.S has affected the world's poorest as more than 6500 children under the age of 5 in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are Malnourished (Sengupta). Clearly, the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris accord as well as their reluctance to commit to reducing greenhouse emissions is against the principle of nonmaleficence. The actions of the U.S with regards to greenhouse emissions are punishing the poorest and are increasing harm because of increased drought that are ravaging several parts of Africa.
The Utilitarian Ethical Theory
The utilitarian ethical theory, first developed by John Stuart Mill, is concerned with fairness and achieving maximum good ((Melden 13). Currently, the U.S is ranked second among the major pollutants in the world after China. The effects of these emissions are unfair and do not contribute to the maximum good. As Americans, we have a moral obligation to our future generations to leave the wildlife, land and water the way we found it. Climate change poses the greatest threat to the inheritance of clean water, clean air and a healthy environment that are the foundations of any society. Additionally, we have a moral obligation to ensure that we leave everything better than we found them. The theory of moral absolutism by Plato states that particular actions are right or wrong irrespective of the context of the act (Melden 15). Doing nothing about greenhouse gas emissions as Americans would mean that we are destroying the inheritance of the future generations and this is not consistent with the laws of the universe, the will of God and even the nature of humanity. It would mean that we would be unfair and would not be acting for the common good, particularly of our children. A few decades ago, our forefathers left us a land with clean water and air. We have a moral duty to ensure that we pass the same to future generations who are also expected to make the earth a better place. Failing to do anything about climate change would be imposing unfair burdens to future generations and this is against the principle of justice. According to Garvey (97), Antigua and Barbuda is a small island whose existence has been threated by the rising sea levels as a result of climate change that is caused by countries such as the United States. The U.S. should know the consequences of their actions and act accordingly to save the lives of those on the receiving end.
Actions to Fight Climate Change
The U.S. should be at the forefront in fighting climate change through numerous initiatives aimed at reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. These should include promotion of the use of green energy, reduction of fluorinated gases, promotion of biofuel in transportation, generation of electricity from renewable sources and improvements in energy efficiency. The United States should also increase budgets for research aimed at finding solutions to global warming. The U.S. administration should also pledge billions of dollars to an international fund aimed at aiding the hardest hit countries. The funds can be used by these countries to purchase food supplies and medicine for populations hardest hit by drought. The U.S. should also deploy some of its researchers and scientists to come up with a framework that can help the most vulnerable populations survive and overcome the effects of climate change.
The Impact of Obama's Clean Power Plan
The clean power plan that was proposed by the former U.S. president Barrack Obama would have had both positive and negative consequences. The implementation of the plan would have led to net gain of 96,000 jobs (Belitz et al.). The creation or displacement of each job would create ripple effects in other sectors that would lead to direct creation and displacement of jobs. Despite the increase in jobs, the electricity utilities and coal mining industries would suffer. Displaced jobs would likely to unionized and well paid compared to created jobs. Regions that heavily depend on fossil fuels such as Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana as well as coal producing areas such as Montana and Wyoming would experience serious negative impacts (Belitz et al.).
Moral Obligation for a Better Future
Americans have a moral obligation to make the world better than they found it. It means that they have a moral obligation with regards to climate change. The effects of greenhouse emissions by the U.S. have had great negative impacts on the lives of people in the Horn of Africa. The U.S has to ensure they relieve these populations of the unfair burdens of poverty and drought that have resulted from climate change. Importantly, Americans have a moral obligation to ensure that the future generations inherit a healthy environment with clean air and water.
Works Cited
"Supreme Court’S Blow To Emissions Efforts May Imperil Paris Climate Accord". Nytimes.Com, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/11/us/politics/carbon-emissions-paris-climate-accord.html?_r=0. Accessed 5 May 2018.
Belitz, Hannah et al. "When Green Meets Blue: The Clean Power Plan And Its Effect On Jobs | On Labor". On Labor, 2018, http://onlabor.org/when-green-meets-blue-the-clean-power-plan-and-its-effect-on-jobs/. Accessed 5 May 2018.
Briggs, Helen. "What Is In The Paris Climate Agreement?". BBC News, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35073297. Accessed 5 May 2018.
Garvey, James. “Climate Change and Moral Outrage.” Human Ecology Review, vol. 17, no. 2, 2010, pp. 96–101.
Melden, A. Ethical Theories. Read Books Ltd, 2013. Internet resource.
Sengupta, Somini. "Hotter, Drier, Hungrier: How Global Warming Punishes The World’S Poorest". Nytimes.Com, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/climate/kenya-drought.html. Accessed 5 May 2018.
