Editor's Note

Abstract

This special issue of the journal addresses the crucial contemporary issue of climate change and places it in relation to the broader concerns with justice and with the global environment more generally. I have had the privilege of coediting this issue with Tim Hayward, Professor of Environmental Political Theory at the University of Edinburgh, who was one of the first thinkers to consistently focus on the significance of the environment for social and political philosophy. I am grateful to Tim for taking the lead in shepherding this project through its various stages and for doing the large part of the editorial work. The fruits of this labor will be evident to readers, but I can say in advance how truly pleased I am to present here the original thinking of so many distinguished contributors. I hope that this special issue will stimulate further philosophical attention to the range of issues involved in preserving a global environment adequate to human well-being, in which norms of equality and global justice come to play an increasingly substantial role. Although the articles here do not primarily speak to the concern for nonhuman animals and other beings on our planet, their interests too are obviously deeply implicated in climate change, and topics along those lines will continue to be a focus of articles in subsequent issues of this journal. This issue also marks a significant transition in the journal's editorial process. The longtime Managing Editor of the journal, Kathalene Razzano (who supervised much of this issue's editorial work as well) has had to return to full-time dissertation writing, and a new Managing Editor—Francis Raven—has taken over that position from her. Kathalene was a model editor, I think, who not only performed the usual editorial tasks with precision, but developed a distinctive managerial style marked by personal attention to authors and reviewers. Francis brings to this position his experience in a similar role at the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism and he has thus far enabled a seamless transition in our evaluative processes. I am confident that authors and reviewers will enjoy working with him and will find him insightful, efficient, and helpful. Please note that the journal has a new e-mail address beginning with this issue and we ask that all submissions be directed to it: jsocphil@gmail.com. If you would like to contact the Editor directly with suggestions for special issues or with comments about the journal, the address for that is: jspeditor@gmail.com. We also request that authors adhere closely to the publication guidelines located on the inside back cover of each issue. This journal strives for a triple blind review process, in which not only are reviewers and authors anonymous to each other, but also the identities of authors of submitted articles are blind to the Editor through all stages of the review process, until after the final decision to accept or reject a given paper is made. We therefore request that authors be sure to send all submissions only to the managing editor at jsocphil@gmail.com.