Have You Benefitted from Carbon Emissions? You May Be a “Morally Objectionable Free Rider”

Human-induced climate change threatens the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable people. Preventing the worst effects of climate change and compensating those who will suffer are tasks that should be taken up by individuals, firms and states, tasks that constitute a burden. In this thesis I suggest the use of particular principles for justly allocating this "climate burden". I first defend my use of an orthodox ethical approach from Dale Jamieson’s challenge that the ethics of climate change must be revisionary. I also reply to Luc Bovens’ Lockean argument that a history of high emitting justifies giving past polluters more rights to emit. Then, I propose a two-track theory under which the climate burden is divided in two. These two different parts are allocated by a contribution-based "polluter pays" principle and by an "ability to pay" principle. The "fault burden" is the burden from greenhouse gas emissions produced since it became reasonable to suppose that such emissions were harmful, except for the emissions from the very poor, which are not included. The fault burden should be allocated to those who have contributed to it, in proportion to their contribution. The "no fault burden" is the remaining portion. The no-fault burden should be allocated by an "ability to pay" principle which requires all parties (except for the very poor) to shoulder burdens that constitute an equal drop in whatever goods we deem most relevant. Finally I defend the two track theory from the claim that a "beneficiary pays" principle better allocates the burden caused by past emissions.

Download Full-text

The Just Allocation of Climate Burdens

10.26686/wgtn.17000560.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Ewan Kingston

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Gas Emissions ◽

Ability To Pay ◽

Vulnerable People ◽

History Of ◽

Polluter Pays Principle ◽

Beneficiary Pays ◽

Different Parts

Human-induced climate change threatens the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable people. Preventing the worst effects of climate change and compensating those who will suffer are tasks that should be taken up by individuals, firms and states, tasks that constitute a burden. In this thesis I suggest the use of particular principles for justly allocating this "climate burden". I first defend my use of an orthodox ethical approach from Dale Jamieson’s challenge that the ethics of climate change must be revisionary. I also reply to Luc Bovens’ Lockean argument that a history of high emitting justifies giving past polluters more rights to emit. Then, I propose a two-track theory under which the climate burden is divided in two. These two different parts are allocated by a contribution-based "polluter pays" principle and by an "ability to pay" principle. The "fault burden" is the burden from greenhouse gas emissions produced since it became reasonable to suppose that such emissions were harmful, except for the emissions from the very poor, which are not included. The fault burden should be allocated to those who have contributed to it, in proportion to their contribution. The "no fault burden" is the remaining portion. The no-fault burden should be allocated by an "ability to pay" principle which requires all parties (except for the very poor) to shoulder burdens that constitute an equal drop in whatever goods we deem most relevant. Finally I defend the two track theory from the claim that a "beneficiary pays" principle better allocates the burden caused by past emissions.

Download Full-text

Consumer willingness-to-pay for restaurant surcharges to reduce carbon emissions: default and information effects

Agricultural and Resource Economics Review ◽

10.1017/age.2021.7 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-29

Author(s):

Dede Long ◽

Grant H. West ◽

Rodolfo M. Nayga

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Willingness To Pay ◽

Contingent Valuation ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Emission Reduction ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

Dichotomous Choice ◽

Carbon Reduction ◽

The Mean ◽

Agriculture And Food

Abstract The agriculture and food sectors contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. About 15 percent of food-related carbon emissions are channeled through restaurants. Using a contingent valuation (CV) method with double-bounded dichotomous choice (DBDC) questions, this article investigates U.S. consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for an optional restaurant surcharge in support of carbon emission reduction programs. The mean estimated WTP for a surcharge is 6.05 percent of an average restaurant check, while the median WTP is 3.64 percent. Our results show that individuals have a higher WTP when the surcharge is automatically added to restaurant checks. We also find that an information nudge—a short climate change script—significantly increases WTP. Additionally, our results demonstrate that there is heterogeneity in treatment effects across consumers’ age, environmental awareness, and economic views. Our findings suggest that a surcharge program could transfer a meaningful amount of the agricultural carbon reduction burden to consumers that farmers currently shoulder.

Download Full-text

The Polluter-Pays Principle in Climate Change Law: an Economic Appraisal

Climate Law ◽

10.1163/18786561-01001004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 94-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Dirk Heine ◽

Michael G. Faure ◽

Goran Dominioni

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Pigouvian Tax ◽

Climate Change Negotiations ◽

Relative Contribution ◽

Traded Goods ◽

Production And Consumption ◽

Intuitive Conceptions ◽

Lively Debate ◽

Polluter Pays Principle

There is a lively debate among scholars and policymakers on whether either consumers or producers should be seen as responsible for pollution caused in the production and consumption of traded goods. In this article, we argue that, in conformity with intuitive conceptions of causation, the economic incidence of a Pigouvian tax can be seen as a measure of the relative contribution to pollution of consumers and producers. Taking this perspective on the polluter-pays principle can help increase ambition in climate change action because it reduces the relevance of the question “Who is the polluter?” in climate change negotiations and enables a focus instead on the issue of “What can be done?” to reduce carbon emissions.

Download Full-text

Unraveling Green Information Technology Systems as a Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Game-Changer

Administrative Sciences ◽

10.3390/admsci9020043 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 43 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Katundu Imasiku ◽

Valerie Thomas ◽

Etienne Ntagwirumugara

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Information Technology ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Renewable Resources ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Green Growth ◽

Green Information Technology

Green information technology systems (Green ITS) are proposed as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions and other environmental impacts while supporting ecological sustainable development. The Green ITS concept combines both Green information technology (IT) and Green information system (IS) applications. The Green ITS concept has the potential to combat the carbon emission problem globally, beyond simply Green IT, because it combines management, organizational, and technology dimensions of climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially if supported by global policy. Examples include life cycle assessment software for measuring GHG emissions, and software for monitoring GHG emissions. Previous studies on environmental burdens such as GHGs, water and air pollution, energy losses and other forms of waste alongside socio-economic dependent variables including renewable resources and climate change policies are reviewed and synthesized. The research analysis conjointly points to the usage of renewable resources such as solar and wind as a critical strategy to scale back GHG emissions and enhance green growth. Empirical evidence shows that developed countries can reduce their carbon emissions while developing countries can utilize carbon emission-free technologies as they aspire to achieve development. The two significant benefits of the Green ITS strategy are first, to provide the environmental benefits of reducing greenhouse emissions and other environmental impacts and second, to enhance global green growth, which supports achievement of ecological sustainable development. Green ITS tools support achievement of the UN SDG 7, 13 and 15, which emphasize clean energy, climate action and ecological sustainable development, respectively. Future research directions include the formulation of a strategy to combat GHGs and design of a system to monitor carbon emissions and other waste remotely.

Download Full-text

Global Research on Carbon Emissions: A Scientometric Review

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11143972 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (14) ◽

pp. 3972 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Lebunu Hewage Udara Willhelm Abeydeera ◽

Jayantha Wadu Mesthrige ◽

Tharushi Imalka Samarasinghalage

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

United States ◽

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

Research Work ◽

The United States ◽

Scientometric Analysis ◽

Carbon Reduction ◽

Global Research

Greenhouse gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide have been recognized as the prime cause of global climate change, which has received significant global attention. Among these gases, carbon dioxide is considered as the prominent gas which motivated researchers to explore carbon reduction and mitigation strategies. Research work on this domain expands from carbon emission reporting to identifying and implementing carbon mitigation and reduction strategies. A comprehensive study to map global research on carbon emissions is, however, not available. Therefore, based on a scientometric analysis method, this study reviewed the global literature on carbon emissions. A total of 2945 bibliographic records, from 1981 to 2019, were extracted from the Web of Science core collection database and analyzed using techniques such as co-author and co-citation analysis. Findings revealed an increasing trend of publications in the carbon emission research domain, which has been more visible in the past few years, especially during 2016–2018. The most significant contribution to the domain was reported from China, the United States, and England. While most prolific authors and institutions of the domain were from China, authors and institutions from the United States reported the best connection links. It was revealed that evaluating greenhouse gas emissions and estimating the carbon footprint was popular among the researchers. Moreover, climate change and environmental effects of carbon emissions were also significant points of concern in carbon emission research. The key findings of this study will be beneficial for the policymakers, academics, and institutions to determine the future research directions as well as to identify with whom they can consult to assist in developing carbon emission control policies and future carbon reduction targets.

Download Full-text

Beyond burdens and climate refugees: a stocktake of international responsibility-sharing and South Pacific climate-induced migration

10.26686/wgtn.14347517.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Daisy McElwain

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

South Pacific ◽

International Agreements ◽

Emissions Reduction ◽

Ability To Pay ◽

Starting Point ◽

Polluter Pays Principle ◽

International Responsibility ◽

South Pacific Climate ◽

Climate Refugees

This paper provides a ‘stocktake’ of common responsibility-sharing principles and goals in international agreements on climate change and refugees/migration to date and investigates how these principles might inform an Oceania agreement to deal with the emerging issue of South Pacific climate-induced migration. Where international agreements on climate change and refugees/migration overlap I identify a set of responsibility-sharing principles and goals and investigate their compatibility with the needs and demands of Pacific communities facing the prospect of climate-induced displacement. In this paper, I tap into ongoing political and academic debates concerning if and how we ought to differentiate states’ environmental responsibilities. I ask whose responsibility is it to address climate-induced migration? And what exactly are they responsible for? I find that international agreements on climate change and refugees/migration sufficiently overlap with the needs of Pacific communities to provide us with five common responsibility-sharing principles and goals that are potentially useful in the South Pacific climate migration context: the ability to pay principle, polluter pays principle, prevention, emissions reduction and (funding) adaptation. Notwithstanding responsibility-sharing’s negotiation difficulties, these responsibility-sharing principles have significant congruence with Pacific communities’ needs and demands, and thus provide us with a valuable starting point for an Oceania agreement on climate-induced migration that is informed first and foremost by the needs of those who may have to leave their homes.

Download Full-text

What do climate change winners owe, and to whom?

Economics and Philosophy ◽

10.1017/s0266267120000449 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-22

Author(s):

Kian Mintz-Woo ◽

Justin Leroux

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Social Benefits ◽

Negative Externality ◽

Negative Externalities ◽

Theoretical Virtues ◽

Climate Ethics ◽

Positive Externalities ◽

The Social ◽

Beneficiary Pays ◽

Peter Principle

Abstract Climate ethics have been concerned with polluter pays, beneficiary pays and ability to pay principles, all of which consider climate change as a single negative externality. This paper considers it as a constellation of externalities, positive and negative, with different associated demands of justice. This is important because explicitly considering positive externalities has not to our knowledge been done in the climate ethics literature. Specifically, it is argued that those who enjoy passive gains from climate change owe gains not to the net losers, but to the emitters, just as the emitters owe compensation to the net losers for the negative externality. This is defended by appeal to theoretical virtues and to the social benefits of generating positive externalities, even when those positive externalities are coupled with far greater negative externalities. We call this the Polluter Pays, Then Receives (‘PPTR', or ‘Peter') Principle.

Download Full-text

Prediction of direct carbon emissions of Chinese provinces using artificial neural networks

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0236685 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. e0236685

Author(s):

Hui Jin

Keyword(s):

Neural Network ◽

Climate Change ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

Southern China ◽

Global Climate ◽

Population Data ◽

Neural Network Models ◽

Emission Data ◽

Elman Neural Network

Closely connected to human carbon emissions, global climate change is affecting regional economic and social development, natural ecological environment, food security, water supply, and many other social aspects. In a word, climate change has become a vital issue of general concern in the current society. In this study, the carbon emission data of Chinese provinces in 1999–2019 are collected and analyzed, so as to identify the carbon emission of direct consumption per 10,000 residents in each province (including each municipal city and autonomous region) and the entire nation based on population data. The Arc Geographic Information Science Engine (ArcGIS Engine) and C#.NET platform are employed to call the MATLAB neural network toolbox. A model is selected and embedded in the prediction system to develop the entire system. This study demonstrates that the carbon emissions per resident in Northern China are significantly higher than those in Southern China, with the rate of carbon emissions continuing to increase over time. Compared with other models, the Elman neural network has a higher carbon emission prediction accuracy, but with more minor errors. For instance, its accuracy and prediction performance are improved by 55.93% and 19.48%, respectively, compared with the Backpropagation Neural Network (BPNN). The prediction results show that China is expected to reach its peak carbon emission in around 2025–2030. The above results are acquired based on the concept of carbon emissions and neural network model theories, supported by GIS component technology and intelligent methods. The feasibility of BPNN, Radial Basis Function (RBF) and Elman neural network models for predicting residential carbon emissions is analyzed. This study also designs a comprehensive, integrated and extensible visual intelligent platform, which is easy to implement and stable in operation. The trend and characteristics of carbon emission changes from 2027 to 2032 are explored and predicted based on the data about direct carbon emissions of Chinese provincial residents from 1999 to 2019, purposed to provide a scientific basis for the control and planning of carbon emissions.

Download Full-text

Embodied Carbon Emissions of Aluminum-Containing Commodities in International Trade: China's Perspective

10.21203/rs.3.rs-349460/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Qiangfeng Li ◽

Huabo Duan ◽

Tianjiao Li ◽

Yanjing Zhou ◽

Ying Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

International Trade ◽

Global Climate Change ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

Global Climate ◽

Flow Analysis ◽

Embodied Carbon ◽

Producer Responsibility ◽

Embodied Carbon Emissions

Abstract In recent years, global climate change has become an increasingly serious problem. Developing countries have assumed excessive responsibilities for carbon emissions under the principle of producer responsibility. A system that considers material flows to establish the responsibility for carbon emissions more accurately and fairly was proposed. In this study, the embodied carbon emissions (ECEs) of aluminum-containing commodities (ACC) in China’s international trade from 2008 to 2017 were analyzed via material flow analysis. The carbon emission coefficients of China’s imported and exported ACC were calculated and discussed. The main conclusions were as follows: (1)The annual imported and exported aluminum in ACC showed a fluctuating growth from 2008 to 2017. Overall, China imported a large amount of alumina and exports a large amount of aluminum-containing end products (ACEP) and semi-products (SP). (2) The imported and exported ECEs of ACC were mainly due to ACEP, which account for 57% and 68% of the imported and exported ECEs of ACC, respectively. (3) The ECEs of ACEP in international trade were mainly associated with vehicles, manufacturing equipment, and aircraft. (4) The share of exported and net exported ACC’s ECEs in domestic carbon emissions (calculated using the principle of producer responsibility) also increased from 1.3 and 0.9% to 2.8 and 1.7%. In addition, a more accurate share of international carbon emission responsibility was discussed, and policy recommendations to reduce carbon emissions and actively respond to global climate change were provided.

Download Full-text