Discussion and conclusion
The paradigm shift from current production and consumption patterns of
humans to more environmentally conscious behaviour is also emphasized in
the climate future narratives. However, the ethical foundations for why
we should care for nature has both not been accepted at the
international level but also is considered as mainly vague to direct our
actions. The moral principle of avoiding extreme value requires an equal
distribution to both production and natural capital which leaves out the
problem of climate change without an effective solution.
The collision of human history with the history of nature resulted in an
understanding of our place on earth as simply one of the nodes of the
complex web of relations between our earth and its biotic and abiotic
constituents. We are only a small subset inside the history of nature
with no other option than to show respect towards ecosystems, nature and
the earth which we depend on for a living. This paradigm shift is only
possible if we can preserve the focus of our moral responsibility
towards climate as life supporting and regulating system.
We are actually bound to our relations with nature where our utilities
drive our decisions and the conservation of nature requires our
commitment to science combined with an appreciation of its limits.
However, these relations are not sufficient to promote our action to
protect the climate as our moral responsibilities are not on the same
level towards the unknown future and our immediate posterity. Therefore,
our values towards nature should be enforced by environmental virtues
towards our earth and climate as life supporting and regulating system.
Humility towards nature requires our understanding of our position in
the earth system and putting our locus of moral responsibility towards
nature. Wonder is best represented by children with awe towards nature
and accepting science as a major tool for gaining knowledge of oneself
and nature. While we construct our ethics towards humans individually,
the integrity and stability of nature as a whole require defining the
locus of value on the earth holistically. The locus of value can only be
nature as our climate depends on the interactions between biotic and
abiotic systems and finally the forcing from human activities requiring
environmental virtues for effective climate action.