Codetermination of causes gives actors grounds to dispute their blame
Evidence
Because global effects are the products of multiple determinants, codetermination provides fertile ground for disputes about the true causes of detrimental outcomes. To further complicate assessment of effects, minor changes can set in motion cyclic processes that feed on each other in ways that eventuate in large-scale changes. For example, as previously noted, global warming thaws vast Arctic regions of permafrost, releasing methane and carbon dioxide that had been trapped in the frozen soil for thousands of years (Walter et al., 2006). Although methane is not so long lasting, it is better able than carbon dioxide to trap heat in the atmosphere. The trapped heat thaws more permafrost, which, in turn, further raises the earth’s temperature in a vicious positive feedback cycle. The rate of methane release is much faster than expected, and the amount of carbon dioxide released vastly exceeded the amount emitted annually by burning fossil fuels (Bora, 2013). — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2722
Categorization
Category: Causal Relationships
- QUESTION: The claim that permafrost-thaw CO2 release ‘vastly exceeded’ annual fossil-fuel emissions — worth checking against more recent permafrost carbon estimates, the figure feels high.
- XREF: The positive-feedback loop logic connects to the amplification dynamics in The Soundscape’s lo-fi saturation and to tipping points in climate discourse generally.