How can we rethink responsibility and ethics in the face of climate change? The Institute for Ethics in Technology at the Hamburg University of Technology held a conference on this topic in cooperation with the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford. The focus was on the ethical dimensions of climate change and their far-reaching implications for social action, technological innovation, and political decision-making. This event was also part of the United Nations University Hub for Engineering to Face Climate Change at TU Hamburg, which aims to link ethical reflection with engineering innovation.
In terms of content, the professional exchange was supported by four thematically diverse contributions, in which the topic of ethical climate responsibility was examined from different perspectives by the speakers:
Political solutions under real conditions: Alice Evatt (University of Oxford) emphasized that ideal conditions are rarely found in climate policy. This is precisely why it is important to develop creative and practical solutions that are effective even with limited resources and conflicting interests. At the same time, she warned against jeopardizing the ability to act through excessive or ineffective measures that could paralyze political processes.
Collective action and strategic behavior: Matthew Braham (Hamburg University) analyzed the dynamics of international climate policy from a game theory perspective. The decisions of individual states are often so interdependent that strategic hesitation or collective blockades can arise. Braham's analysis highlighted how much coordinated action depends on certain conditions—and how fragile international cooperation remains when responsibilities cannot be clearly allocated.
Limits of intergenerational protection: Emma Curran (University of Oxford) addressed the ethical tensions that arise when climate policy has to balance the needs of present and future generations. Not all protection interests can be fulfilled at the same time, and political decisions in the here and now are inevitable, even if they remain morally ambiguous. Curran's contribution focused on the difficult balance between long-term responsibility and the present duty to act.
Responsibility in complex human-AI systems: David Storrs-Fox (University of Oxford) addressed the question of how responsibility is distributed in climate policy contexts when not only individuals but entire groups act together, often with the involvement of artificial intelligence. In such constellations, responsibility gaps often arise: it is unclear who can be held accountable for harmful consequences. Storrs-Fox discussed the role of blame attribution in such cases and how moral psychology insights can help to better understand these challenges.
The conference was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Deloitte Foundation.
The hybrid conference promoted interdisciplinary exchange and enabled new perspectives to be explored and cooperative solution strategies to be developed. It became clear that integrating ethical considerations into technological innovation processes can make a valuable contribution to overcoming the climate crisis, given its complexity and multifaceted nature.
