1. Moral and Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change Professor Arthur Lyon DAHL International Environment Forum Switzerland http://iefworld.org and Baha'i International Community International Environment Forum

2. Moral and ethical challenge Mitigation of climate change poses real financial, technological and political challenges. But it also asks profound moral and ethical questions of our generation. In the face of clear evidence that inaction will hurt millions of people and consign them to lives of poverty and vulnerability, can we justify inaction? No civilized community adhering to even the most rudimentary ethical standards would answer that question in the affirmative, especially one that lacked neither the technology nor the financial resources to act decisively. UNDP Human Development Report 2007/2008, p. 68

3. International Action is Necessary Climate change cannot be separated from the challenges of economic globalization, energy and resource depletion, poverty reduction, social imbalances and security Each problem interacts with the others in complex ways Partial solutions will not solve the problems that threaten future sustainability

4. A systems view Climate change is only a symptom of short term narrow thinking What are the economic and social drivers? Are there underlying moral and ethical failures behind climate change? Can a moral and ethical analysis help us to find solutions?

5. We have hit the limits to growth Where do you throw your trash?

6. Accumulating economic, social and environmental debt Financial crisis debt transferred to governments Climate change worse than worst predictions of IPCC 2007 UK Chief Scientist (19 March 2009): the world faces a 'perfect storm' of problems in 2030 as food, energy and water shortages interact with climate change to produce public unrest, cross-border conflicts and mass migrations

7. Limits to Growth (1972-2004) (Meadows et al. (1992) Beyond the Limits)‏ Business as usual Transition 1995 Transition 2015

8. Moderation in Material Civilization The civilization, so often vaunted by the learned exponents of arts and sciences, will, if allowed to overleap the bounds of moderation, bring great evil upon men. Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892)

9. End of the growth paradigm Economic growth has depended on population growth, energy growth, resource growth and technological innovation The first three will all end by 2050 All that is left is our brains and heart

10. The failure of Kyoto Protocol Any agreement rests on Trust The Kyoto Protocol was never intended to solve climate change It was to demonstrate that the industrialized countries that caused the problem would make the first effort to address it It was a confidence-building measure The failure of many countries to meet their obligations under the protocol shows they cannot be trusted This makes the present negotiations more difficult

11. The root of the problem The only way the divergent views of the nations of the world can be reconciled in the face of the common challenge of climate change is to identify the underlying ethical values or spiritual principles that they all agree are of primary importance and then to be guided by them.

12. Surviving this transition requires fundamental change to shift to a dynamic, just and thriving social order with an economic system that is: - strongly altruistic and cooperative in nature, - provides meaningful employment - helps to eradicate poverty in the world.

13. Climate change will force a mixing of all the world's peoples The massive displacement of populations expected by 2050 due to climate change, sea level rise and resource scarcity will require resettling hundreds of millions of refugees

14. Responding to this challenge Replace the present rejection of immigration with a positive response: Lowering Immigration barriers Redistributing the population according to environmental capacity

15. The response This will require a grass-roots process of community building for unity in diversity based on ethical principles of the oneness of humankind and the recognition that the Earth is one country.

16. A shared vision must first be ethical Trust Justice Equity Solidarity Responsibility

17. Sustainability a fundamental responsibility Sustainable environmental management must come to be seen not as a discretionary commitment mankind can weigh against other competing interests, but rather as a fundamental responsibility that must be shouldered, a pre-requisite for spiritual development as well as the individual's physical survival. (based on Bahá'í International Community, Valuing Spirituality in Development. 1998)‏

18. Justice Justice requires that the well-being of the masses of humanity and of the planet itself not be sacrificed to the advantages which technological innovations make available to privileged minorities

19. Voluntary simplicity Take from this world only to the measure of your needs, and forego that which exceedeth them. Observe equity in all your judgements, and transgress not the bounds of justice, nor be of them that stray from its path. (Bahá'u'lláh) ‏

20. Implementation If the governments of the world want their decisions on climate change to be implemented by the peoples of the world, they must be seen to be just and equitable

21. Justice and equity in climate change decisions For example: responsibility for adaptation should follow from historical contributions represented by accumulated capital mitigation efforts should relate to per capita rights financial contributions should be adjusted for ability to pay

22. A Positive Vision based on ethical principles A recognition of the importance of the social, cultural and spiritual dimensions of human life and development can provide a positive vision of the future to replace the hollowness of the consumer society

23. Climate Change Action Plans The recent launch of action plans on climate change by the major religions of the world at Windsor on 2-4 November shows the power of mobilization based on spiritual and ethical principles http://www.windsor2009.org/

24. The Windsor Celebration

25. ACTION PLANS Bahá'í Buddhist Christian Daoist Hindu Jewish Moslem Shinto Sikh

26. Bahá'í International Community Seven Year Plan of Action on Climate Change http://www.bcca.org/ief/bic/bicccap.html

27. BIC Action Plan on Climate Change The crucial need facing humanity is to find a unifying vision of the nature and purpose of human life. An understanding of humanity’s relationship to the natural environment is an integral part of this vision.

28. BIC Action Plan on Climate Change The approachof the Bahá’í community: to educate our community about climate change to raise consciousness about environmental issues to build the capacity of our members to contribute to the resolution of this global challenge

29. Building an ethical foundation can help The challenge of COP15: will climate change force nations to work together in their collective interest?

30. Further information on these themes can be found on the web site of the http://iefworld.org