Science and social justice in the governance of adaptation to climate change

Abstract

What roles can rational choice theory award to science and social justice in environmental decision-making and governance? Even such a weak starting point can justify a role for social justice in environmental decisions and governance. The article first discusses how, in the light of rational choice theories, science can contribute to environmental decision-making by improving the knowledge upon which it is premised. It then demonstrates how social justice can contribute to the legitimacy and effectiveness of environmental decisions. These arguments are then exemplified and elaborated by applying them to the core dilemmas of governing adaptation to climate change, which include capping the atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration, financing and distributing adaptation assistance to vulnerable developing countries, and planning and deciding on adaptive responses. A safe minimum standard for the maximum greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere, a universal carbon tax, and procedural templates extending participation in adaptation planning and decisions are examples of solutions that would enhance social justice in adaptation to climate change.

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