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Losing your moral concepts during climate breakdown

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  • Anh-Quân Nguyen

Abstract

This paper explains the current disorientation climate activists, climate scientists and others struggling against climate breakdown as a loss of moral concepts. The climate movement's moral concepts are gradually becoming unintelligible, even if still used in moral deliberation with others. The paper articulates this loss of moral concepts by (1) showing a loss of embeddedness in moral practice, causing climate activists to be disoriented, and (2) a loss of comprehension through a narrowing of their moral horizons due to the climate crisis limiting the scope of their moral concepts. The paper argues that one way to escape this loss, the path of radical hope, is unavailable to climate activists and scientists, or anyone struggling against climate breakdown.

Suggested Citation

  • Anh-Quân Nguyen, 2026. "Losing your moral concepts during climate breakdown," Environmental Values, , vol. 35(2), pages 150-168, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envval:v:35:y:2026:i:2:p:150-168
    DOI: 10.1177/09632719251387471
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tom Whyman, 2025. "Spontaneous hope, anger and climate activism," Environmental Values, , vol. 34(4-5), pages 309-326, October.
    2. Thaler, Mathias, 2024. "Eco-Miserabilism and Radical Hope: On the Utopian Vision of Post-Apocalyptic Environmentalism," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 118(1), pages 318-331, February.
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