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The Ethics of climate policy: A systematic literature review

Damian J. Bridge*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

Climate change as we know it is a significant social, economic, and environmental problem. As such, it must be considered above all an ethical problem, and climate policy initiatives must be considered through an ethical lens. Utilising a systematic literature review of the ethics of climate policy, this paper reveals six distinct areas in the existing literature: ethics and policy; climate ethics; market-based mechanisms; social welfare; justice and equity; and climate action. The review also identifies five emerging research topics, namely: climate engineering; gender; efficiency versus sovereignty; transformative justice; and artificial intelligence. This review finds an intrinsic relationship between ethics, climate change, and policy. Finally, a research agenda is presented identifying areas of potential future research as well as possible methodology enhancements.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3809-3828
Number of pages20
JournalAccounting and Finance
Volume65
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2025

Bibliographical note

© 2025 The Author(s). Accounting & Finance published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

  • bibliographic
  • climate policy
  • ethics
  • triangulation

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