Climate change as a structural social problem

Abstract

The world is failing to avert dangerous climate change. Facing a real possibility of environmental collapse, we will do well to take a step back and reflect on the nature of the problem and the task of addressing it. That is what I attempt in this thesis. I analyse climate change as a structural social problem. The analysis produces methodological, political, and moral insights which I think are important for addressing the problem.

I begin by developing a comprehensive account of structural social problems and their mechanisms, explaining how social structures systematically produce harms. I illustrate the account by sketching a structural diagnosis of climate change. I then apply these theoretical and diagnostic tools to reflect on the task of addressing the problem. First, I criticise a dominant philosophical methodology for a lack of attention to structural context and propose an alternative, structural approach. Second, I flesh out the task of addressing structural problems and the moral aims it involves. Third, I identify a common implementation problem that any proposed solution to climate change must overcome: the inability of key agents to take required action due to the structural constraints within which they operate. I argue that our best chance at overcoming this 'problem of agency' lies with a powerful social movement. Finally, I develop and defend Iris Marian Young's idea that ordinary citizens ought to engage in political action to transform harmful social structures in virtue of their contribution to those structures. A powerful social movement is not only politically necessary for meaningful climate action but is also morally required.

The contribution of the thesis is twofold. On the one hand, it's an applied project that produces methodological, political, and moral insights that I hope are important and useful for the practical task of averting climate change. On the other hand, the thesis makes a general theoretical contribution that furthers our understanding of structural social problems and offers tools for analysing them and designing solutions. Show more