기후변화는 오늘날 인류가 직면한 최대의 과제이다. 기후변화에는 과학기술의 문제뿐만 아니라 윤리적인 문제가 깊숙이 개입되어 있다. 기후변화에서 가해자와 피해자가 시간적으로, 그리고 공간적으로 분리되어 있기 때문이다. 이글은 기후변화가 윤리적인 문제라는 점을 보이고, 관련된 윤리적 논쟁을 소개하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 여기서는 과학의 불확실성과 사전예방의 원칙, 지구적 정의와 오염자부담의 원칙, 세대간 정의와 사회적 할인율에 초점을 둘 것이다. 이글은 기후변화를 극복하기 쉽지 않은 난제로 보는데, 그 이유는 과학적 불확실성, 지구적 정의, 세대간 정의가 얽히고 설켜 도덕적 타락을 낳을 수 있기 때문이다.
Today climate change is the greatest challenge to the humankind. There are not only the scientific technical problems but also the ethical problems in climate change. It is mainly because the polluters and victims of climate change are temporally and spatially separated. This article will show that climate change gives rise to the ethical issues, and introduce the ethical debates involved. Firstly, I will examine the scientific uncertainty and the precautionary principle, secondly the global justice and the polluter pays principle, and thirdly the intergenerational justice and the social discounting rate. Finally, I will conclude that climate change issues would be the difficult challenge to overcome. It is because the issues are so connected in a very complicated way that they could lead to moral corruption.
Today climate change is the greatest challenge to the humankind. There are not only the scientific technical problems but also the ethical problems in climate change. It is mainly because the polluters and victims of climate change are temporally and spatially separated. This article will show that climate change gives rise to the ethical issues, and introduce the ethical debates involved. Firstly, I will examine the scientific uncertainty and the precautionary principle, secondly the global justice and the polluter pays principle, and thirdly the intergenerational justice and the social discounting rate. Finally, I will conclude that climate change issues would be the difficult challenge to overcome. It is because the issues are so connected in a very complicated way that they could lead to moral corruption.
