Philosophical Analysis of Moral and Existential Implications of Climate Change

Abstract

Besides other challenges such as the economic crunch and the threat of possible World War III orchestrated by conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, climate change appears as a major challenge facing our world today. This phenomenon tends to shape the global narrative and influences many government policies as well as dominating most global organizations’ debates. There is a consensus among scientists that climate change is largely anthropogenic, that is, it is largely caused by human activities that emit enormous greenhouse gases in the atmosphere leading to austere heating of the earth’s surface. This being the case, we realize that climate change raises both existential as well as moral concerns. A critical peek on the various UN and WHO reports on the extent and reality of climate change, backed by evidence of extreme and unpredictable weather patterns witnessed across the globe such as heavy floods in various parts of the world and/or extreme temperatures in many parts of Europe point to a situation that threatens not only the very existence of man and other organisms through death and extinction but also a disturbance to societal moral values, prompted by such questions of climate justice and responsibility of the contemporary generation for future generations. This situation unsettles any critical mind not only to be conscious of the reality and severity of disasters caused by climate change but also to think of possible ways to formulate a framework that addresses the need for mitigation and adaptation but also to preserve the world for future generations. It is the view of this write-up that as a problem that needs a solution, and enlightened by the philosophical problem-solving skills, climate change catastrophe needs a clear and precise definition, hence the need to explicate the real existential as well as moral crises it raises. This paper therefore becomes richly informative and brings to the consciousness of everyone the great risks we are faced with today due to climate change.