Empathy And Climate Change By Roman Krznaric

The two fundamental reasons behind fighting climate change are for the economic benefit and the moral obligation not to harm others. In “Empathy and Climate Change”, Roman Krznaric argues that these two approaches have not brought sufficient action, and a shift must be made in the way that we approach fighting climate change; empathy must be brought into the equation. Krznaric defines empathy as, “our ability to step into the shoes of another person and comprehend the way they look at themselves and the world…” (209). Empathy allows for people to have a real understanding of other’s viewpoints. In his essay, Krznaric encourages his readers to step into the shoes of two people most affected by climate change; future generations who will

Lomborg writes that for half of the $50 billion a year to help developing countries make adaption to climate change we could prevent 28 million new HIV infections, nearly completely eradicating the HIV/AIDS virus. While we could spend $150 billion a year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and buy an extra six years, “the United Nations estimates that half that amount could permanently solve all of the world’s major problems: it could ensure clean drinking water, sanitation, basic health care, and education for every single person in the world.” (Lomborg). The tough reality is that we live in a world where many people live without the most basic of human needs, struggling to survive. If we prioritize our spending and grant these basic ‘luxuries’ to everyone in the world. Prioritizing aid does not mean we must lose sight of the need to fight global warming, instead it shows us where we can spend money to do the most good now. When these other problems are solved the world will be in a far greater position to tackle global warming. When we live in a world where no one has to worry about access to clean water, nutritious food, and health care think about all of the amazing things that can happen. The aid money used to bring these basic needs to everyone can then be used to ensure everyone has access to education. With education for everyone we are on our way to breaking the poverty cycle. The more educated people we have on earth, the more scientist and engineers we will have who can work on making alternative energy cheaper and more efficient. If we can properly prioritize development aid to the problems that will allow for the greatest impact we will quickly reach the time when the