Challenging the Issue of Political Authority

Five mass extinction events have occurred in the history of planet earth, four of which have been caused by climate change produced by greenhouse gas emissions. 252 million years ago: carbon warmed the planet by 5 degrees and killed 97% of life on earth, currently we are adding carbon to the atmosphere ten times faster than what was happening then. Not only is failure to protect its citizens a breach of social contract, but it is also a direct impediment to humanity engineering an effective way to mitigate a catastrophe of our own making. The time period we exist in is the only period in planet earth’s history where humanity wields the technology and collective power to prevent an extinction level threat posed by nature. Governments have authority in virtue of mitigating climate change, it is imperative that authority is exercised so that citizens and industries are compelled to perform higher duties of justice. Whether these authoritative measures be coercive or not, they are justified in virtue of mitigating climate change.