Abstract

It is widely held that, as a matter of justice, rich countries should compensate poor countries for the transition towards net zero emission through some global redistributive scheme. Yet, communitarianism is a political theory of ethical partiality and explicitly rejects any conception of global redistributive justice. This chapter analyzes the conceptual problems that communitarian theory has with climate change and seeks a way from within communitarianism to engage with it specifically in terms of global justice. It argues that, while cultural identity as a normative and moral notion fails to give rise to obligations towards future people, cultural identity understood in moral psychological terms may provide support for a systematic concern for future people. And that, in turn, may give rise to strong communitarian reasons supporting forms of global climate cooperation and redistribution. In short, the moral sentiments and social emotions that are characteristic of and define a community provide the psychological and motivational grounds to care about the future and instrumentally engage in climate justice.