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 entry 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