Abstract

This chapter introduces the concept of anthropocentrism and its relevance for climate change: what is anthropocentrism, and what are the alternatives? In what sense is it a root cause of climate change? And to what extent are anthropocentric values reflected in proposed solutions? The first section provides an overview of anthropocentrism, looking at some of the main critiques of the concept made by environmental philosophers and ethicists and at the main non-anthropocentric alternatives they proposed, such as biocentrism and ecocentrism. The next section examines the connection between anthropocentrism and climate change, showing how anthropocentrism both legitimizes the practices that contribute to climate change and remains an obstacle to addressing it adequately. It also critically analyzes two important objections: first, the focus on anthropocentrism as the root cause of climate change unfairly implicates all humans and ways of life as the problem, and second, it obscures potentially more relevant causes such as capitalism. The last section considers the extent to which anthropocentrism is reflected in one specific plan of action to address climate change: the rapid transition to renewable energy. Taking into account the objections raised against anthropocentrism, this section suggests that an awareness of the anthropocentric dimensions of proposed solutions to climate change can help bring into focus important considerations about what values they uphold and who they truly serve.