Counteracting climate change in the context of implementing sustainable development in economic and social aspects

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the current state of knowledge about climate change, the causes of these changes, and potential effects, both environmental, economic, and social. To achieve the formulated goal, the author attempts to interpret original research results in the area of climate change, as well as actions taken (at various levels) in the field of climate policy. This is intended to answer the question of whether the idea of sustainable development at the social and economic level is realistic in the context of climate policy. In the ongoing debate, the problem of adaptation to climate change has given way to the problem of pollutant emissions, and the available scientific knowledge is insufficient to predict what changes the climate will undergo in the coming decades and what impact humans will have on these changes. Based on the analyses carried out, the author of the article concludes that emphasis should be placed on solutions that support human well-being and minimise losses. Environmental protection, if it is to remain a science, must take responsibility for the entire environment, including human well-being, and cannot be done at the expense of human beings because it destroys the natural social order. The article verifies the following hypothesis: decisions made in the field of climate policy are insufficiently justified by scientific research, which provides irrefutable facts.