Why do communitarians see climate protection as a possible universal value?

Communitarians generally emphasize that the common good must be formulated at the social level to provide a normative foundation for society. While communitarianism is often associated with particularistic, community-specific values, some scholars argue that certain substantive universal values can exist to support these local frameworks.12

Regarding climate protection, the American scholar of religion Don Browning has advanced the argument that the integrity of the global climate serves as a substantive universal value. This perspective is rooted in the recognition that modern challenges—such as global environmental degradation—transcend the scope of traditional local or national communities. Because these issues cannot be effectively managed on a national basis, they necessitate more-encompassing, global cooperation.2

Consequently, communitarians view climate protection as a universal value because it represents a shared interest essential to the survival and well-being of all communities, providing a necessary foundation for global normative guidance in an era where economic and technological forces have created an increasingly interconnected world.2