Climate Change

Climate change is a problem that affects not just every human on earth but every species on earth. However, there seems to be a constant game of three-way finger-pointing of which group needs to lead the charge to combat climate change. This stare-down between the people, government officials, and corporations. This brings up the ethical question of who is responsible for guiding environmental change and to what intensity should they have over certain environmental issues. 

Governments around the globe have made many efforts to combat the growing amount of trash their citizens consume. For example, China built a mega-dump that was supposed to be filled by 2044. However, the mega-dump filled 25 years ahead of schedule. The cause of this dilemma would be China’s citizens’ purchasing patterns. Therefore, the citizens of China should make different consumer choices and purchase items that are less harmful to the climate and/or produce less trash. 

Overall, it may be corporations’ efforts that may make the biggest difference in the fight against climate change. However, corporations are not incentivized to do the right thing for the planet. Corporations are designed to maximize their profits. If governments created laws that forced corporations to use more ecologically positive production methods, then that would be a large step forward in combating climate change. In addition, if the citizens of their respective countries vocalized their values and forced their governments to change their efforts towards combating climate change then larger issues would be resolved. For example, the United States has a large portion of its fossil fuel emissions produced by the armed forces. If Americans voiced their displeasure over this reality, then legislators would be forced to change the government’s action in fear of not being reelected.