Adaptation Justice

Abstract

Global climate change is already causing widespread impacts around the globe and will cause profound disruptions to the environment and to human well-being in coming years. These impacts will not fall evenly. Domestically, poor and marginalized populations will experience more severe consequences than richer and more established communities. Internationally, researchers predict that the consequences will be more severe for poorer countries, most of which have contributed the least to climate change. These disparities raise the issue of “climate justice” and, more specifically, “adaptation justice.” This short chapter, prepared for a forthcoming encyclopedia on climate change law, provides a brief overview of anticipated disparities, adaptation responses, and legal mechanisms for obtaining desired adaptation responses. In light of the deficiencies in current law, the chapter then addresses underlying philosophical principles that can inform future adaptation and adaptation finance decisions. The chapter concludes by identifying areas for further research and policy development. The philosophical analysis draws from a longer essay, “Climate Adaptation and Theories of Justice” (Archiv Für Rechts - Und Sozialphilosophie, forthcoming 2016).

Keywords: climate justice, climate adaptation, global warming, climate change, international development, environmental justice, corrective justice, distributive justice