Innerminds wrote: " I told him that I agreed but unfortunately, while it would be ideal to have a truly objective and perfectly moral reference point for morality, there simply isn’t one." In other words, you have not find any reference where to based your knowledge about good and evil, right and wrong, true and false. It will be difficult for you to defend where you stand. Your opponent has a point reference which is "transcendent entity" or in common term called "God". But on your part, you have not find any. As an objective atheist, the point of reference of morality is REALITY (existence). This will lead us to the concept reality, existence. and needs a definitions or an understanding or grasp of what it is. (If we can't find the identify of God in reality, thus it does not exist. If God does not exits, then the point of reference of does not exist also, thus morality is irrational, subjective, intrinsic.) How about that?

With regards to climate changes, I think we still enjoy our life. And we can still figure out how to cope for its changes. There are many factors affecting our climate. One major factor comes from our neighboring Sun; scientist has discovered the Sun's changes affeting our home planet Earth. The human factor is a minuscule compared to that.

The concept of GOOD and EVIL is a moral or ethical concept. Ethics is a general guide for human choices and actions; because every actions and choices of man affects his own individual life. Thus, the standard of ethics is HUMAN LIFE. By looking at reality, we can determined what is good and evil for our LIFE. Without life, there could be no morality or ethics or no need for any knowledge of what is good or evil. All natural events: earthquake, typhoon, tsunami, comets hitting the face of the earth are ALL NEITHER GOOD NOR EVIL if there are no living organism in existence(Human is the highest form of living organism). Since we human exist we need to discover and learn the knowledge of what is good and bad for us. We must discover and learn morality in living with each other humans. We created and organized a government with a charter protecting an individual person from the government itself and from the mob or crowd for using physical force. The basis of it all is the absolute (definite)reality, existence.
In short my point is: LIFE IS STANDARD OF GOOD AND EVIL. Humans must discover,identify,learn and understand that morality or ethics is connected to our individual life.

ex. suicide?
ex. climate change?

Its sad that the time to reflect on the iteration of consequences of certain actions have to compete with "metaphysical" contemplations.

To observe even the simplest leap of reason, surpassing the first consequence in the chain of events, difficult to realize. Working back, at several links of causality leads back to the church and their crusade of authority against reason.

No other link perpetuates flawed reasoning with such potency.

Decades ago very few people took climate change seriously. Now it is a topic of discussion among state leaders. Scientists are closely studying the effects of every source of pollution and its damage to the environment. More importantly, governments now have laws against pollution.

Decades ago it was not so hard to cut trees for lumber, or to dump garbage into the oceans and rivers. Try doing that now.

intergenerational justice is when one generation of humans gain while another generation loses (or will likely lose). an example is climate change — the story is that people today enjoy the benefits of polluting, while the bad effect of pollution, climate change, will be a problem the next generation will largely face.

is this an example too?