International Ethics Experts Coming to SDSU to Tackle
Justice Issues Relating to Global Climate Change
April 6-7 Conference Presented by University's
Institute for Ethics and Public Affairs

Contact: Jason Foster
SDSU Marketing & Communications
Tel: (619) 594-2585 office; (619) 992-0772 cell
foster@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO – (Wednesday, March 22, 2006)– Most scientists agree that the earth's climate is growing warmer. While researchers scrutinize the potential physical changes of this phenomenon, ethicists and philosophers are also becoming more active in discussing the moral issues presented by the situation.

That discussion will come to San Diego State University on April 6-7, 2006, when SDSU's Institute for Ethics and Public Affairs presents "Global Justice and Climate Change." This free conference will feature presentations by some of the world's top thinkers - coming from as far away as Hong Kong and Great Britain - who are studying the philosophical ramifications of this environmental issue.

"It's difficult to predict what the climactic consequences of global warming will be, but there is good reason to believe that the world's poor will suffer the most from storms, floods and droughts since they are the most vulnerable populations," said Darrel Moellendorf, director of SDSU's Institute for Ethics and Public Affairs. "This is just one reason why questions of justice are unavoidable when reckoning with global climate change."

Other topics of ethics and justice include: What obligations, if any, do the world's leading producers of greenhouse gases and other emissions have to slow down their contributions to global warming; if those producers should pay for any damage global warming causes; and whether it's possible to establish a just system for distributing different emission rights to different nations.

The event's most notable speakers include:

• Robin Attfield, professor of philosophy at Cardiff University in Wales , speaking on "Mediated Responsibilities and the Scope of Ethics."
• Stephen M. Gardiner, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Washington , speaking on "Justice and Dangerous Climate Change."
• Paul G. Harris, associate professor of politics and sociology at Lingnan University in Hong Kong , speaking on "Cosmopolitan Justice and Climate Change: Who's Obliged to Act and to Aid?"
• Tim Hayward, reader in the School of Social and Political Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, speaking on "Is the Idea of a Just Distribution of Emissions Rights Coherent?"
• Dale Jamieson, professor of environmental studies and philosophy at New York University , speaking on "Justice and Adaptation to Climate Change.
• Henry Shue, senior research fellow in politics and professor of international relations for Merton College at Oxford University , speaking on "Harming the Grandchildren."

"My hope is that this conference will increase awareness and understanding of the important moral issues that surround global climate change," Moellendorf said. "This would be the first step toward doing something about these issues."

All presentations are free and open to the public. They will take place at SDSU's Casa Real room in Aztec Center between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. For the full conference schedule and other information, visit http://ethics.sdsu.edu/.

SDSU is the oldest and largest institution of higher education in the San Diego region. Founded in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 72 and doctorates in 16. SDSU’s nearly 33,000 students participate in academic curricula distinguished by direct faculty contact and an increasingly international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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