Cosmopolitan Justice, Responsibility, and Global Climate Change - Bryan Bartnick

"We must remember our duty to Nature before it is too late," Margaret Thatcher - 1990. At the time, the impending doom of the planet began to start to take the spotlight, but we have not held individuals responsible. 

Simon Caney cautions everyone from blaming the collective through the context of climate change, but I believe that it is pivotal for those that have largely contributed to the pollution of the climate to take responsibility. Climate change is an overarching issue, and regardless of country borders, countries, corporations, and individuals that have been the primary polluters should make a conscious effort to combat their efforts and make right, as human beings.

But that is not the "we." Every individual that is on this planet owes it to ourselves and future generations to protect the planet. Why? We were all born on a beautiful planet, one that may have its issues at a more specific, intangible level, but nature has been there the entire time. Avarice and greed, however, have for centuries been destroying the one constant we have - beauty in nature. 

Soon, the ice caps will melt, fires will spread, and eventually, civilization will cease to exist. However, even though humans have been the ones to destroy, we also have the power to rebuild. In quite an ironic sense, the fate of the planet is in our hands – the ones who have been destroying it all along.

As individuals, we can do our part by monitoring the amount of water we use, the resources we consume, and try to recycle. Alternative energy is another solution. Enforcing law that states that individuals and corporations must replace every resource they destroy are drastic, and as Caney states, "One problem with applying the ‘polluter pays’ principle to climate change is that much of the damage to the climate was caused by the policies of earlier generations." We can not force individuals like Rockerfeller to pay, who cannot since their destruction was before and there is nothing we can do now, but we can start to enforce the policy now and simply encourage those that have left marks in the past to do their part.

It is our duty to save the planet before it is too late.