Collapse, social tipping dynamics, and framing climate change

Daniel Steel, Kian Mintz-Woo and C. Tyler DesRoches
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Daniel Steel: 8166University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Kian Mintz-Woo: 8795University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
C. Tyler DesRoches: Arizona State University, Arizona, USA

Politics, Philosophy & Economics, 2024, vol. 23, issue 3, 230-251

Abstract: In this article, we claim that recent developments in climate science and renewable energy should prompt a reframing of debates surrounding climate change mitigation. Taken together, we argue that these developments suggest (1) global climate collapse in this century is a non-negligible risk, (2) mitigation offers substantial benefits to current generations, and (3) mitigation by some can generate social tipping dynamics that could ultimately make renewables cheaper than fossil fuels. We explain how these claims undermine familiar framings of climate change, wherein mitigation is understood as self-sacrifice that individuals and governments must be morally persuaded or incentivized to undertake.

Keywords: societal collapse; climate change; climate ethics; climate justice; intergenerational justice; mitigation; tipping points (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:pophec:v:23:y:2024:i:3:p:230-251

DOI: 10.1177/1470594X231196432

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