The Great Climate Change Debate - An Ethical Perspective

This short film/ documentary-esque video asks the contemporary ethical question of: Given the general scientific consensus that anthropogenic (human induced) climate change is real, are we ethically obliged to take action to stop it?

Our group set out to find out why climate change action in Australia has been so slow to take-off and to determine whether this decision being made is one based on ethics or ignorance.

Special thanks to our guest speakers: Dr Ben Newell (15:58) from the School of Psychology UNSW and Dr Allistair Sproul (24:17) from the School of PV and RE Engineering UNSW.

It is also the major assignment for ELEC4122: Strategic Leadership and Ethics a course run by the School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy engineering and the School of Electrical Engineering at the University of New South Wales by Dr Iain Skinner.

Chapter 1 -- Problem Definition
2:59 -- [Image] University of California (Berkely), Scrutinizing Science: Peer Review http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/howscienceworks_16, Accessed October 2011
3:25 -- [Image] Anderegg WRL, et al, (2010) Expert credibility in climate change. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107:12107--12109

Chapter 2 -- Stakeholders: Discussion
9:06 -- [Website] Ernst and Young Pty Ltd, (2008), Climate change greatest strategic risk to insurance industry: http://www.ey.com/GL/en/Newsroom/News-releases/Media---Press-Release---Strategic-Risk-to-Insurance-Industry, Accessed October 2011
9:15 -- [Website] Fenner R, (2011), Foster's Faces First Drop in Beer Profitability Since 2001 as Volumes Fall, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-05/foster-s-faces-first-drop-in-beer-profitability-since-2001-as-volumes-fall.html, Accessed October 2011

Chapter 3 -- Cause: Why Climate Change Action Isn't Happening
12:10 -- [Research Paper] Anderegg, W. R. L., J. W. Prall, et al. (2010). Expert credibility in climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
12:22, 13:08, 13:40 -- [Book] Oreskes, Naomi; Conway, Erik M. (2010). Merchants of Doubt. Bloomsbury Press
14:05 -- [Website] Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Accessed Aug 2011
14:37 -- [Video], Lord Monckton Bunkum, URL:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbW-aHvjOgM&feature=youtu.be , Accessed August 2011
14:50 -- [Website] Redfearn G, (2011) Australia's place in the global web of climate denial, http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2775298.html, accessed October 2011
15:37 -- [Video Clip] UNSW TV, Global Warming: Science and the Message, http://youtu.be/6gdsHYGYMCU, Accessed October 2011
16:16 -- [Interview] Associate Prefessor Ben Newell, Faculty of Psychology, University of New South Wales

Chapter 4 -- Reason: Why Climate Change Action Should be Happening
22:54 -- [Research Paper] Global Humanitarian Forum. (2009), The Anatomy of A Silent Crisis Geneva.
23:33 -- [Reference] Engineers Australia (2010). Our Code of Ethics. http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=F0647595-C7FE-7720-EA17-70AC27062E0B&siteName=ieaust
24:05 -- [Journal] Lovins, A. B. (2005 More Profit for Less Carbon. Scientific American, 74-82.
30:57 -- [Journal] Horiuchi, R., Schuchard, R., Shea, L., Townsend, S., Bsr, H., Bsr, R. S., & Futerra, L. S. (2009). Understanding and Preventing Greenwash : A Business Guide. North.
31:07 -- [Video Clip] TEDtalksDirector,, Ray Anderson on the business logic of sustainability, http://youtu.be/iP9QF_lBOyA, Accessed October 2011
32:18 -- [Website] Ernst & Young. (2008). Climate change greatest strategic risk to insurance industry. Retrieved August 3, 2011, from http://www.ey.com/GL/en/Newsroom/News-releases/Media---Press-Release---Strategic-Risk-to-Insurance-Industry
32:26 -- [Research Paper] Reo Research. (2007). In the front line: The insurance industry's response to climate change, (September).
32:55 -- [Research Paper] Desertec Foundation. (2009). 12 companies plan establishment of a Desertec Industrial Initiative. Munich.
33:00 -- [Research Paper] Desertec Foundation. (2008). Red Paper - An Overview of the Desertec Concept. Munich
33:43 -- [Journal] Caney, S., Hepburn, C., No, W. P., & No, W. P. (2011). Carbon trading : unethical , unjust and ineffective?, The Environment, Environment, 1-35.

Chapter 5 -- Conclusion
None

Other Helpful Links:
http://www.skepticalscience.com/
http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Music
1) Pump it - Black Eyed Peas
2) Unthinkable - Alicia Keys
3) Words I Never Said - Lupe Fiasco ft Skylar
4) Heart Skipped a Beat - The xx
5) Waiting On The World to Change - John Mayer
6) If I Ruled the World - Jamie Cullum

Shot and filmed on the Nex-5. Sorry about the glitches, and low-res, I didn't have time to put up the high res one. i will be doing it shortly!