Climate Change and Cosmopolitan Responsibilities

Climate change raises a number of ethical-political questions regarding equity, distributive justice and intergenerational justice. These questions, in turn, point to the issue of responsibility and the responsibilities of states to take appropriate measures to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. This paper explores climate change and states as bearers of cosmopolitan responsibilities. It argues that due to the unique nature of climate change, states are the principal agents within the international realm to exercise responsibility in a manner which advances cosmopolitan ideals. While climate change is being addressed by non-state political communities (e.g., states and regions), these alternative initiatives do not allow for the full range of political, economic and scientific resources to be brought to bear on the problem of climate change. The principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) has been at the core of various climate change agendas. The paper critically examines this principle, arguing that its historical frame prevents a conception of future orientation in developing responsibilities for climate change. Drawing on research around progress from both cosmopolitanism and international law, the chapter argues that understanding responsibility as future oriented rather than past oriented enables forms of political action in response to climate change.