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This handbook aims to explore the critical role of business ethics in addressing global climate change, with a focus on the shared responsibilities of both corporations and individuals. As climate challenges become more urgent, businesses must go beyond pursuing economic profits to take on greater social and environmental responsibilities. Drawing on key arguments from the journal article “On Explaining Individual and Corporate Culpability in the Global Climate Change Era,” we will examine how responsibilities for carbon emissions and resource consumption are allocated and how to prevent blame-shifting between parties. Furthermore, this handbook will integrate insights from Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action, analyzing the challenges and opportunities businesses face in achieving this goal through innovation, collaboration, and strategic adjustments aimed at reducing carbon footprints and ensuring sustainable growth.The core message of this handbook is to emphasize the importance of ethics in business decision-making. Ethics serve not only as the foundation for building a good reputation and fostering trust but also as a safeguard for managing future environmental risks and creating long-term value. Through a combination of theoretical analysis and real-world case studies, we will demonstrate how businesses can strike a balance between profit maximization and social responsibility.

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This article, "On Explaining Individual and Corporate Culpability in the Global Climate Change Era," was written by Ian A. Smith and published in 2013. The article mainly explores the difficulties of explaining individual and corporate culpability in the era of global climate change, as well as related ethical issues. The article highlights that much research is still needed in explaining moral culpability related to global climate change, proposes new ways of understanding individual and corporate philosophical responsibility.Among the specific ethical issues discussed in the journal are: the moral responsibility of individuals and businesses for global climate change, responsibility, the moral subject status of businesses and some ethical issues. The background information of the article is mainly about global climate change and the impact of human activities on it. Global climate change caused by human activities brings many hazards, such as stronger hurricanes, more frequent and severe fires in dry areas, and the displacement of poor coastal populations due to rising sea levels.The results of this study provide evidence for the ethical issues of personal and corporate responsibility.

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One of the moral issues involved in this paper is utilitarianism. Utilitarianism holds that the moral correctness of an action depends on its impact on maximum well-being and utility. This paper examines the impact of individuals and companies on global climate change and discusses their moral sins. From a utilitarian point of view, we should pay attention to the effects of global warming, such as stronger hurricanes and human displacement caused by rising sea levels. If the actions of individuals or companies produce such negative results, thereby reducing overall well-being or utility, then from the utilitarian point of view, such behavior is wrong and therefore affected by moral guilt. In addition, although Pafitt's "six-step" theory does not clarify its relationship with utilitarianism, it can be regarded as an analysis of the results of action in a sense, which is closely related to the concept of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is a kind of ethics in which the idea is that whether a person's behavior is in line with moral standards depends on whether the results produced by his actions are generally beautiful or happy. Utilitarians believe that only in terms of overall well-being or utility maximization, that is.This is the right thing to do when creating maximum net income. In the framework of utilitarianism, happiness or utilitarianism generally refers to the satisfaction of happiness, satisfaction, or preference.Utilitarians are concerned about the well-being of everyone involved in action and strive to maximize overall well-being. That is, when making moral decisions, one must measure the results of various actions and choose the behavior that maximizes overall happiness. Overall, from a utilitarian point of view, individual and corporate greenhouse gas emissions are immoral, not only can not maximize the overall well-being, but also bring a series of negative consequences.

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The origin of utilitarianism can be traced back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The main representatives of utilitarianism include Jeremy Bentham and John Stryker. The emergence of utilitarianism is a response to the social moral problems at that time. During the Industrial Revolution, great social posture took place, and people began to pay attention to the basis of social equity, welfare and morality. Utilitarianism provides a moral theory based on results and utility, trying to provide a rational guiding principle for social decision-making and behavior. The United Nations sustainable development goal is a set of indicators set by the United Nations to solve social, economic and environmental problems.There are 17 sustainable development goals covering leading cities, such as poverty eradication; hunger eradication; health and well-being; quality education; gender equality; clean drinking water and sanitation; decent work; economic growth; industrial creation and infrastructure; reduction of inequality; sustainable cities and communities; climate action; and undersea life.Life on Earth; peace and justice; strong institutions; promotion of the Millennium Development goals. In particular, the Declaration aims to eradicate poverty and hunger, guarantee the basic needs of all, promote health, education, gender equality and social integration, improve the quality of life of the people, effectively protect and sustainably manage natural resources, address climate change, promote sustainable development, build peaceful, just and inclusive societies, and achieve governance and cooperation in achieving the development goals for all.

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This article explores the important role of business ethics in addressing climate change, with a particular emphasis on the shared responsibilities of both corporations and individuals. As climate issues intensify, businesses must go beyond the pursuit of economic profit and take on greater social and environmental responsibilities. The crisis of global climate change requires cooperation and action at local, national, and global levels. For Australia and other national communities, achieving a balance between economic growth and environmental protection is crucial. Through an analysis of utilitarian perspectives in ethics, combined with the Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDG 13: Climate Action), this article points out that only through the joint efforts of businesses, individuals, and governments can we effectively address the challenges of global climate change, ensure long-term well-being for all, and promote sustainable social development.

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Reference

Smith, I. A. (2013). On explaining individual and corporate culpability in the global climate change era. Journal of Business Ethics, 112(4), 551-558. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1556-3

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Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University