It is now widely (if not universally) recognized that considerable changes are taking place in the Earth's climate and that these changes are to a large extent human induced. The projected changes include: raised temperatures and therefore desertification and crop failure; raised sea-levels causing flooding of coastal settlements and small island states; and increased unpredictability and extreme weather events. These changes are likely to have profound effects on human lives. \n\nIn light of these developments a new theory of 'global climate justice' is required. This theory will need to answer four questions.\n\nFirst, what protection are persons entitled to from dangerous climate change? In particular, the project considers whether all persons have a human right to be protected from the ill-effects of climate change. Many of the worst effects of climate change may be suffered by people who have not yet been born. What, if any rights, do future generations have to protection from the dangers posed by climate change?\n\nSecond, who has a duty to pay the costs of either preventing climate change (mitigation) or enabling people to cope with climate change (adaptation)? The project considers whether the costs of climate change should be borne entirely by those who have polluted most or whether there are alternative (and fairer) ways of sharing the costs. Should the wealthiest pay the most? What, if any, duties do developing nations, such as China and India, have to mitigate climate change? The project also considers the duties of individuals and corporations. Does each of us have a duty to reduce our own 'carbon footprint' by taking fewer trips (by air and road), reducing our domestic energy use and buying more local produce? What are the duties of a responsible corporation? We also consider what we should do when some people don't do their duty.\n \nThird, what policies should be adopted in order to prevent or adapt to climate change? A number of policies have been suggested and some have been implemented in limited ways. The project considers which of these policies are consistent with the principles of climate justice that we have defended. For example, we consider the merits of mitigation policies, including carbon taxes, emissions trading and clean development policies. We also discuss different adaptation policies and consider what we should do when adaptation isn't possible.\n\nFourth, what kind of institutions (or institutional reforms) are needed to introduce and implement principles of climate justice? Climate justice is a global and intergenerational problem but the most powerful institutions are nation-states. How can institutions be reformed so that they will protect those most vulnerable to the ill-effects of climate change? The project considers how existing international institutions, including the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation, might be reformed to take on the challenges of climate change. We also consider new possibilities, such as an International Environmental Court and new ways of representing non-nationals and future generations in state legislatures.\n \nThis project aims to address these four questions and to defend a liberal theory of global climate justice. The theory will be presented in a monograph, 'Global Justice and Climate Change', jointly authored with Professor Simon Caney (Oxford University) to be published by Oxford University Press (2009). The book will be the most comprehensive treatment of these issues so far written. It will be an original and important contribution to the study of climate justice, which will be of particular interest to political philosophers and environmental political theorists. Moreover, it is likely to interest international relations scholars, legal scholars, economists, public policy scholars and practitioners.