Equity, responsibility and climate change

M.S. Muylaert, C. Cohen, L. Pinguelli Rosa and A.S. Pereira
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M.S. Muylaert: PPE/COPPE-UFRJ - Programa de Planejamento Energético - COPPE-UFRJ - Instituto Alberto Luiz Coimbra de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa de Engenharia - UFRJ - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro [Brasil] = Federal University of Rio de Janeiro [Brazil] = Université fédérale de Rio de Janeiro [Brésil]
C. Cohen: PESC/SEN/CES/UFF - affiliation inconnue
L. Pinguelli Rosa: PPE/COPPE-UFRJ - Programa de Planejamento Energético - COPPE-UFRJ - Instituto Alberto Luiz Coimbra de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa de Engenharia - UFRJ - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro [Brasil] = Federal University of Rio de Janeiro [Brazil] = Université fédérale de Rio de Janeiro [Brésil]
A.S. Pereira: CIRED - centre international de recherche sur l'environnement et le développement - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AgroParisTech - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Abstract: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its decision-making processes are influenced by powerful economic and political interests, but also by debates on equity and responsibility. This is equally reflected in the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose task it is to compile and assess existing knowledge for the UNFCCC negotiations. The IPCC is not charged with producing new knowledge, and its assessments, particularly the 'Summary for policy makers', are the product of political and ideological debates, and may include biased statements. The debate on equity and responsibility is characterized by a division, mainly based on socio-geographic differences, between the representatives from developed and those from developing countries. We argue that 'common but differentiated responsibilities' (UNFCCC 1992, Article 3) require a consideration of temporal and sectoral factors, as well as geographic ones. Countries and economic sectors that have caused today's climate change must be held accountable. More attention must be devoted to giving different responsibilities to the various economic sectors according to their importance for basic human needs. The differences in accountability between economic sectors were first analyzed in Agarwal and Narain (1991; Global warming in an unequal world. Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi); the need for historical accountability was proposed by the Brazilian Delegation in UNFCCC (1997). © Inter-Research 2004.

Date: 2004
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Published in Climate Research, 2004, 28 (1), pp.89

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00716740

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