Climate Justice and Public Health: Practical Ethics in Urgent Times

Abstract

This chapter reflects on the disproportionate impact of climate change on the most vulnerable people, but argues that the language of “climate justice” may not be the most effective language for communicating the urgency to the general public, and changing attitudes and behaviors around climate change. Drawing on theories of human motivation in the social sciences, the paper argues that most people, most often, tend to be motivated by what most affects them, their families, their neighborhoods, and so forth. This suggests that the likely health impacts of climate change might be a more effective way of communicating with those who are not motivated by the narrative of social justice to change their attitudes and behaviors. Because the health impacts of climate change can be generalized to all of us, it is likelier to motivate a shift in attitudes in behavior among larger publics. The chapter concludes with reflections on how to integrate public health more effectively into our communications about climate change.