industrialized nations and global warming

Another discussion question from class... and my response.

Do industrialized nations have a responsibility to address global warming?

I would find it hard to imagine how one would answer/argue "no" to this question. I definitely share in some of the earlier points that my colleagues made in the discussion, however, I'd like to state the answer a little stronger. I believe that industrialized nations are morally obligated to address global warming, for multiple reasons.

1. Industrialized nations contribute significantly to global warming (via production of greenhouse gases and other emissions), so as the old adage goes, whoever created the problem/mess is responsible for cleaning it up.

2. Along similar lines, it's morally irresponsible to leave the future citizens of the world, industrialized or not, with a problem that we are partly responsible for. Admitting blame aside, if we are cognizant of an impending problem, it's our obligation to do something to either address it or prepare for it. Thiat is, it's irresponsible to leave this problem for someone else to solve or address, whether that "someone else" is in another country or will exist in a future time.

3. Industrialized nations are the only ones equipped to take action -- technologically, economically, and politically. The industrialized nations are the ones that possess well-developed scientific knowledge to detect, understand, and model the problem. They are also the ones equipped with the engineering and financial resources to do something. In addition, industrialized nations (with technology and economic resources) generally will have the political influence to help other developing nations leapfrog over "old" technologies that contribute to global warming to "new" technologies that do not.

4. Industrialized nations have values to protect and defend their citizens from harm, even if that harm is from natural causes (regardless of whether or not those natural causes are amplified by human-imposed actions). If we know what effects and risks global warming can cause (examples from Gene Takle's lecture include: flooding, more intense storms, water shortages, food supply impacts, etc...) the nations must take actions to protect its citizens. It's not just industrialized nations either, the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro, June 1992) proclaimed as Principle 1:

Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature.

If the nations of the world share this value, then the nations of the world are responsible for taking actions that reinforce this value -- otherwise, we've betrayed our values. (By the way, 172 nations attended the Rio Conference, 108 heads of state among them -- so I think it's fair to say this is a shared value among most of the world.)

Touching on a previous point in the discussion thread, global warming is not an issue that industrial nations are solely responsible for. All nations, industrial, developing, or undeveloped are responsible for Earth's natural systems. Nature has no boundaries -- humans impose boundaries like political borders -- matter (air, water) and energy (heat, storms) do not stop flowing at borders. However, I believe that industrialized nations should bear a greater responsibility for the reasons I mentioned above -- and it shouldn't be a burden to bear, but rather a challenge to improve progress and advancement (that will undoubtedly bring new economic opportunities). All nations, including industrialized ones, where quality of life is of such high value, will benefit from action to control global warming.

We've been referring to nations, but a nation really is an abstract entity -- a boundary and political system created by people for their benefit, convenience, and well-being. A nation after all is just a collection of people, its citizens. A nation's actions, especially in a democratic nation (which most industrialized nations are) are a reflection of its citizens. So when I say a nation has a responsibility, it really means its citizens have that responsibility to address this problem -- both on a personal level and as a collective.