Presenting a persuasive argument to act ethically in the matter of addressing climate change impacts.

1. Presentation at the Sixth International
Conference on Climate Change: Impacts and
Responses.
By Kalpana Murari
University of Iceland, Reykjavik.
27 and 28th of June, 2014.

2. Climate Ethics – Reinforcing MEAs and Policy instruments
• Developing nations’ role in the climate change agenda
- Imparts values of neutrality and impartiality
- Infuses democratic values
- Assists in devising policies that ultimately aid in finding global solutions
to climate change.

3. Operationalizing climate ethical principles.
• Avoidance of harm
• Fairness
• Equitable access
• Environmental sustainability

4. Making an impact with ethics
Natural Resource management
Poverty alleviation
Environmental Pillaging
Environmental security

5. Larger Objectives
• Averting Ecological crises and Restoring ecosystems
• Mandating socially responsible investments (SRI) aimed at sustainable
development
• Monitoring land-use change to help regulate indiscriminate urbanization
• Institutional reforms to help poor countries
• Universal harmonization of processes and designs

6. Ethics and sustainability best practices
Sustainable development in transportation and infrastructure
- Guarantees Environment protection, Economic efficiency and Social Equity.
- Calls for Environment sustainability
- International regulations for transportation
- Internalizing environment externalities by providing for env.costs
- Devise an effective environmental management plan
Other areas to enforce sustainable practices
- Renewable Energy
- Smart Grid
-Biofuels

7. Crucial areas for policy intervention
• Measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of mitigation action and commitments at domestic levels
- OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, 2011
• Reaching out to Climate Refugees
– Absence of a legal definition for “climate refugees” under the UN framework.
• Setting international standards for domestic legislation on climate change
– Global Climate Legislation Initiative (GCLI)
• Climate agreement to be finalized in the year 2015.

8. Influencing climate policies
• Greenhouse Development Rights Framework
– To protect right to development and developmental equity.
– To protect right to sustainable development.
– Highlights the need for an emergency climate stabilization program
– Imposes an obligation on nations to contribute to mitigation and adaptation
funds.
• UN Global Compact Principles
- Strategic policy initiative for businesses for long term benefits
- Recommends precautionary approach by businesses
- Diffusion of Environmentally sound technologies (ESTs)

9. Overview of the Paper
• Ethical implications of emissions allocation among nations
• Concrete national actions on emissions levels and mitigation actions
• Calls for domestic and international policy on MRV and the preparedness for a third party scrutiny of
emissions reductions
• Importance of ESTs and the need to invest in Research and Development of climate-friendly technologies
• Replicate examples set by countries like Norway that has made a voluntary commitment to become
carbon neutral by 2030 with dedicated funds for environmental projects
• Calls for sustainable lifestyles and transparency in environmental management by nations.