A perfect moral storm: the ethical tragedy of climate change

The global environmental tragedy

My approach

Introducing the perfect storm metaphor

Climate change

The wider relevance of the model

Outline of the book

pt. A. Overview. 1. A perfect moral storm : Why ethics? ; The global storm ; The intergenerational storm ; The theoretical storm ; The problem of moral corruption

2. The consumption tragedy : What's the point of game theory ; Motivating the models ; A green energy revolution? ; Consumption and happiness ; Conclusion

pt. B. The global storm. 3. Somebody else's problem? : Past climate policy ; Somebody else's burden? ; Against optimism ; Conclusion

4. A shadowy and evolving tragedy : Climate prisoners? ; An evolving tragedy ; Beyond pessimism ; Lingering tragedy ; Climate policy in the shadows ; Conclusion

pt. C. The intergenerational storm. 5. The tyranny of the contemporary : Problems with "generations" ; Intergenerational buck-passing ; Intergenerational buck-passing vs. the prisoner's dilemma ; The features of the pure intergenerational problem ; Applications and complications ; Mitigating factors ; Conclusion

6. An intergenerational arms race? : Abrupt climate change ; Three causes of political inertia ; Against undermining ; Conclusion

pt. D. The theoretical storm. 7. A global test for contemporary political institutions and theories : The global test ; Scenarios ; A conjecture ; Theoretical vices ; An illustration: utilitarianism ; The status of the complaint ; Conclusion

8. Cost-benefit paralysis : Cost-benefit analysis in normal contexts ; CBA for climate change ; The presumption against discounting ; The basic economics of the discount rate ; Discounting the rich? ; Declining discount rates ; Two objectives to not discounting ; The "anything goes" argument ; Conclusion

pt. E. Moral corruption : 9. Jane Austen vs. climate economics : Corruption ; The dubious dashwoods: initial parallels ; The opening assault on the status of the moral claim ; The assault on content ; Indirect attacks ; The moral of the story

10. Geoengineering in an atmosphere of evil : An idea that is changing the world ; Political inertia revisited ; Two preliminary arguments ; Arming the future ; Arm the present? ; Evolving shadows ; Underestimating evil ; An atmosphere of evil ; "But, should we do it?"

pt. F. What now? : 11. Some initial ethics for the transition : An ethical framing ; The ethics of skepticism ; Past emissions ; Future emissions ; Responsibility ; Ideal theory ; Conclusion

12. The immediate future

Appendix 1 : The population tragedy : Hardin's analysis ; Population as a tragedy of the commons ; Total environmental impact ; Conclusion

Appendix 2 : Epistemic corruption and scientific uncertainty in Michael Crichton's State of fear : What the scientists know ; Certainty, guesswork, and the missing middle ; Conclusion.