The social utility of event attribution: liability, adaptation, and justice-based loss and damage

Greg Lusk ()
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Greg Lusk: University of Chicago

Climatic Change, 2017, vol. 143, issue 1, No 15, 212 pages

Abstract: Abstract Probabilistic event attribution aims to attribute weather events to anthropogenic forcings. Some claim the development of this methodology is motivated by social utility rather than scientific understanding. I trace the evolution of arguments for probabilistic event attribution’s social usefulness from their origins in private climate change litigation through adaptive decision-making, and end with the methodology’s relevance for addressing loss and damage due to extreme events. I show that probabilistic event attribution is unlikely to substantially contribute to litigation or adaptation, and while it is potentially relevant for addressing loss and damage, securing a lasting role in this context requires answering some key questions regarding event attribution’s capacities and deployment.

Keywords: Extreme Event; Restorative Justice; Extreme Weather Event; Moral Standing; Causal Information (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1007/s10584-017-1967-3

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