COP20's Ethical Fallout: The Perils of Principles Without Dialogue

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Accepted Manuscript (AM)
Author(s)
Breakey, Hugh
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2015
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I argue that mechanisms currently embedded in the Paris negotiations Elements Text could elicit a structured process of moral dialogue. These mechanisms go beyond inviting Parties to cloak their intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) in specious moral garb; the mechanisms envisage a principled review of, and dialogic reflection on, the fairness and ambition of Parties' INDCs. These mechanisms could thus propel moral dialogue (similar to Rawls' public reason), leading to constructive shifts in Parties' perspectives and commitments. The drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides an illustrative ...
View more >I argue that mechanisms currently embedded in the Paris negotiations Elements Text could elicit a structured process of moral dialogue. These mechanisms go beyond inviting Parties to cloak their intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) in specious moral garb; the mechanisms envisage a principled review of, and dialogic reflection on, the fairness and ambition of Parties' INDCs. These mechanisms could thus propel moral dialogue (similar to Rawls' public reason), leading to constructive shifts in Parties' perspectives and commitments. The drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides an illustrative example, where moral dialogue weeded out bad faith and parochial demands.
View less >
View more >I argue that mechanisms currently embedded in the Paris negotiations Elements Text could elicit a structured process of moral dialogue. These mechanisms go beyond inviting Parties to cloak their intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) in specious moral garb; the mechanisms envisage a principled review of, and dialogic reflection on, the fairness and ambition of Parties' INDCs. These mechanisms could thus propel moral dialogue (similar to Rawls' public reason), leading to constructive shifts in Parties' perspectives and commitments. The drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides an illustrative example, where moral dialogue weeded out bad faith and parochial demands.
View less >
Journal Title
Ethics, Policy & Environment
Volume
18
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2015 Taylor & Francis (Routledge). This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Ethics, Policy & Environment on 26 Nov 2015, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21550085.2015.1070520
Subject
Earth sciences
Human society
Philosophy and religious studies
Applied ethics not elsewhere classified