Friday 23 May 2008

criminal behaviour

In legal functions, this blog raised again the question of criminal charges in regard to decisions and indecisions that affect climate change. A post this week at ClimateEthics.org says that since the risks are so high, the use of scientific uncertainty as 'an excuse for doing nothing is ethically intolerable':

'Many types of risky behavior are criminal because societies believe dangerous behavior is irresponsible and should not be condoned. As a matter of ethics, a relevant question in the face of scientific uncertainty about harmful consequences of human behavior is whether there is a reasonable basis for concluding that serious harm to others could result from the behavior ... humans have understood the potential threat from climate change for over 100 years and the scientific support for this concern has been building with increasing speed over the last 30 years.'

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