IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/endesu/v17y2015i3p477-495.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The sustainability of New Zealand climate change policy: an ethical overview

Author

Listed:
  • Chris Hadley

Abstract

Through a theory-driven thematic analysis, the paper gauges how, since 1990, New Zealand (NZ) Governments have approached climate change ethics and provides insight into the importance of ethics in the broader context of sustainable development and global sustainability. Analysis of the policy-related data identified two main ethical themes labelled standard self-interest and advocacy. The data show that despite some advocacy consistent with urging the objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the international arena, Governments from 1990 to 2008 have held back to an extent on climate change policy development having operated broadly under a “standard self-interest” approach. Since 2008, the current Government has also held back on policy development and is operating under a particularly narrow, highly unethical and unjust form of self-interest. Strong criticism of the Government is therefore warranted. The paper has also highlighted the significant consensus around the broad overarching operational conclusions of sustainable development. The paper concludes, inter alia, that the NZ Government should advocate to the international community to achieve, and among their people to support, the objective of the UNFCCC, while advocating at the national and international levels for a science-informed global ethic on sustainable development. The same logic would apply to all other UNFCCC members, of which it appears many are also operating unethically and unjustly on this global transformational issue. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Chris Hadley, 2015. "The sustainability of New Zealand climate change policy: an ethical overview," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 477-495, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:17:y:2015:i:3:p:477-495
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-014-9555-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10668-014-9555-4
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10668-014-9555-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Common,Michael & Stagl,Sigrid, 2005. "Ecological Economics," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521016704.
    2. Jonathon M. Harris, "undated". "Basic Principles of Sustainable Development," GDAE Working Papers 00-04, GDAE, Tufts University.
    3. Common,Michael & Stagl,Sigrid, 2005. "Ecological Economics," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521816458.
    4. Biermann, Frank, 2012. "Planetary boundaries and earth system governance: Exploring the links," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 4-9.
    5. Kerry James Grundy, 1997. "Sustainable management: a sustainable ethic?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 5(3), pages 119-129.
    6. Clark, William C. & Gleick, Peter H., 2010. "Climate Change and the Integrity of Science," Scholarly Articles 9795466, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    7. Harris, Jonathan M., 2000. "Basic Principles of Sustainable Development," Working Papers 15600, Tufts University, Global Development and Environment Institute.
    8. -, 2009. "The economics of climate change," Sede Subregional de la CEPAL para el Caribe (Estudios e Investigaciones) 38679, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Timothy J. Foxon & Jonathan Köhler & Jonathan Michie & Christine Oughton, 2013. "Towards a new complexity economics for sustainability," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 37(1), pages 187-208.
    2. Isin Ceti̇n, 2017. "Accounting Requirements And Records On Bank Subscribed Capital Compliance With European Directives," Annals - Economy Series, Constantin Brancusi University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 1, pages 52-68, February.
    3. Pogany, Peter, 2013. "Thermodynamic Isolation and the New World Order," MPRA Paper 49924, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Olfa JABALLI & Sebnem SAHIN, 2010. "Green Accounting and Climate Change Problem: A New Evidence from the Turkish Economy," EcoMod2004 330600071, EcoMod.
    5. Yan Cai & Eunmi Kim, 2019. "Sustainable Development in World Trade Law: Application of the Precautionary Principle in Korea-Radionuclides," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-18, April.
    6. Timothy A. Wise, "undated". "Understanding the Farm Problem: Six Common Errors in Presenting Farm Statistics," GDAE Working Papers 05-02, GDAE, Tufts University.
    7. Marco Grasso & Enzo Di Giulio, 2003. "Mapping sustainable development in a capability perspective," HEW 0309001, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Anil P. Dongre, 2018. "Policy Initiatives for Governance of Socially Sustainable Development: India’s Account of Incessant Endeavors," Emerging Economy Studies, International Management Institute, vol. 4(1), pages 40-61, May.
    9. Fred Saunders & Michael Gilek & Anda Ikauniece & Ralph Voma Tafon & Kira Gee & Jacek Zaucha, 2020. "Theorizing Social Sustainability and Justice in Marine Spatial Planning: Democracy, Diversity, and Equity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, March.
    10. Lehtonen, Markku, 2004. "The environmental-social interface of sustainable development: capabilities, social capital, institutions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 199-214, June.
    11. Pahlavani, Parham & Sheikhian, Hossein & Bigdeli, Behnaz, 2020. "Evaluation of residential land use compatibilities using a density-based IOWA operator and an ANFIS-based model: A case study of Tehran, Iran," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    12. Lenka Slavikova, 2013. "From Cost-Benefit to Institutional Analysis in The Economics of the Environment," Contemporary Economics, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw., vol. 7(2), June.
    13. Bekmez, Selahattin & Gokalp, M. Faysal, 2004. "Trade Liberalization and Pollution in Turkey: An Empirical Re-evaluation of Pollution Heavens Hypothesis," Conference papers 331273, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    14. Maria Francesca Cracolici & Miranda Cuffaro & Peter Nijkamp, 2008. "Analysis of Spatial Disparities by a Structural Equations Model," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 08-058/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    15. Clive L. Spash, 2012. "Towards the Integration of Social, Economic and Ecological Knowledge," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Julien-François Gerber & Rolf Steppacher (ed.), Towards an Integrated Paradigm in Heterodox Economics, chapter 1, pages 26-46, Palgrave Macmillan.
    16. Pogany, Peter, 2012. "Value and utility in a historical perspective," MPRA Paper 39056, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Timo Busch & Volker Hoffmann, 2009. "Ecology-Driven Real Options: An Investment Framework for Incorporating Uncertainties in the Context of the Natural Environment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 90(2), pages 295-310, December.
    18. MacLeod, N.D. & McIvor, J.G., 2006. "Reconciling economic and ecological conflicts for sustained management of grazing lands," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 386-401, March.
    19. Julie A. Nelson, "undated". "Is Economics a Natural Science?," GDAE Working Papers 04-03, GDAE, Tufts University.
    20. Lin Cai & Yating Xu & Kaiqi Zhang & Caiya Zhang & Zhengzhe Xiang, 2022. "A New Measurement of Global Equity in a Sustainability Perspective: Examining Differences from Space and Time Dimensions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-18, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:17:y:2015:i:3:p:477-495. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.