Dr Matthew Rendall, Ethics (University of Chicago Press): 'Discounting, Climate Change, and the Ecological Fallacy'

We are delighted that our very own Dr Matthew Rendall, lecturer at the School of Politics and International Relations, has just published a paper in the University of Chicago Press journal, Ethics (An International Journal of Social, Political and Legal Philosophy), Volume 129, Number 3.

The paper is entitled 'Discounting, Climate Change, and the Ecological Fallacy', and occurs on pages 441-463. Access the full text of the paper either on the journal's website or by viewing/downloading the PDF. You can access this paper and all of Matthew's publications via our website.

Abstract

Discounting future costs and benefits is often defended on the ground that our descendants will be richer. Simply to treat the future as better off, however, is to commit an ecological fallacy. Even if our descendants are better off when we average across climate change scenarios, this cannot justify discounting costs and benefits in possible states of the world in which they are not. Giving due weight to catastrophe scenarios requires energetic action against climate change.