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Document Details : Title: A Growing Problem? Subtitle: Dealing with Population Increases in Climate Justice Author(s): HEYWARD, Clare Journal: Ethical Perspectives Volume: 19 Issue: 4 Date: 2012 Pages: 703-732 DOI: 10.2143/EP.19.4.2182832 Abstract : It is rare for discussions of climate justice to explore the challenges that a growing world population might present for mitigation and adaptation. Given the emotive nature of the issue, care must be taken that population growth is introduced in an appropriate way. Population growth is undeniably a factor in human impact on environmental systems, but this does not necessarily entail that it must be reduced if manipulating other variables can reduce overall impact. In the context of climate change, a discussion of responsibility for population increase requires engaging in the question of legitimate state policies to incentivise smaller families and to reduce fertility rates by measures such as promoting social justice, especially gender justice. It must also, however, address the other factors that contribute to human impact on global environmental systems. Examples of such factors include affluence and technology. This article argues that it cannot be permissible for a state to implement policies that make parents bear the full costs of their procreative decisions. Instead it suggests that there is a collective duty of a society to make investments and social changes to accommodate any population growth that might come about after permissible measures to reduce fertility rates are implemented. |
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