Why tackling climate change is a moral and economic imperative

The authors argue that climate change creates a moral imperative because its effects disproportionately impact the global poor and threaten future development. Economically, they assert that a 'green' economy based on technological innovation can drive sustainable growth and job creation, while inaction leads to high costs from extreme weather. The text calls for a universal climate-change agreement, specifically urging all countries to submit national contributions for the post-2020 period and to commit to a 50-year de-carbonization plan to meet the goal of capping global temperature rise at 2° Celsius.

• Climate change presents a moral imperative because its impacts, such as rising sea levels and extreme weather, most severely affect the global poor, who contributed least to the cause, and it threatens the development goals of future generations.
• Addressing climate change is economically beneficial as it avoids the costs of extreme weather and allows for the creation of a 'green' economy that fosters sustainable growth and employment through technological innovation.
• A universal climate-change agreement is the primary tool for global action, requiring all participating countries to submit national contributions for the period starting in 2020 and to implement an ambitious 50-year de-carbonization plan.
• To meet the 2° Celsius global temperature cap pledged in 2009 and 2010, governments must establish a long-term emissions-reduction strategy to signal commitment to capital markets, potentially leveraging the $90 trillion expected for global infrastructure investment over the next 15 years.

APA

Tutu, D., & Manuel, T. (2015). Why tackling climate change is a moral and economic imperative. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/why-tackling-climate-change-is-a-moral-and-economic-imperative/

Chicago

Tutu, Desmond, and Trevor Manuel. Why tackling climate change is a moral and economic imperative. World Economic Forum, 2015. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/why-tackling-climate-change-is-a-moral-and-economic-imperative/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Tutu |first1=Desmond |last2=Manuel |first2=Trevor |title=Why tackling climate change is a moral and economic imperative |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=12 June 2015 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/why-tackling-climate-change-is-a-moral-and-economic-imperative/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{tutu2015why, author = {Tutu, Desmond and Manuel, Trevor}, title = {{Why tackling climate change is a moral and economic imperative}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = jun, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/why-tackling-climate-change-is-a-moral-and-economic-imperative/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }