One of the major vindications for the US not signing Kyoto is that the treaty does not contain any legally
binding emission reduction targets for China and India, although these countries have become respectively
the second and fifth biggest emitter of CO2. India and China -in return- claim that a path of development
that would not harm the climate is too expensive for them; the West has to pay for a historical
responsibility that stems from its past emissions, which brought about anthropogenic climate change in the
first place. In this way the blame is passed from one nation to the other, and in the meantime all three
countries keep on increasing their gross emissions. The essay identifies that part of the problem is the
current perspective in intergovernmental emission reduction negotiation. All negotiation is about how much
the global top-polluters agree to reduce their emissions. Kyoto left open to what value of CO2-equivalent
countries ultimately have to reduce their emissions. Thus it was also not possible to tell how much India
and China can increase their emissions. The essay rationalises how the exclusiveness of a top-down
negotiation increases the cost of climate change mitigation in the US, as in China and India, by constricting
the US-suggestion of international CO2-emission trading to the inflexible Clean Development Mechanism.
It describes how China and India could be integrated into emissions trading by setting a definite limit to
each country's emissions of CO2-equivalent. Here John Rawl's Original Position is used to identify that this
value should be found on a per-capita basis. The essay follows on to analyse the effect that the introduction
of such a huge new market would have on the Sino-Indian region compared to the West, and additionally
how it could alter the economic relationships between China and India. The essay then presents two ideas
on how the cost of this trading scheme would be divided between economically more developed countries
and less economically developed countries, in order to improve the political feasibility of the concept.
Finally, the essay explains how linking each nation's gross amount of emission permits to the population
size at a base year could give a strong economic incentive towards all countries world-wide to lower their
populations.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Abstract
- Introduction: Climate Change as A Major Threat to Development in India and China
- The Conflict: Pushing Around Responsibility Leads to Current Standstill
- No time left - The economic impact of climate change for India and China
- A concept for reductions of GHG emissions down to sustainable levels that follows the US-position to include India and China while respecting their need for development
- Idea of an international, free trading of CO2-emission permits and the likely role of China, India and the USA in this trade
- Suggested design of a real international emissions trade
- The cost of climate change mitigation for MEDCs; the impact of the introduction of the new market on position of the Sino-Indian region towards the MEDCs and on the Sino-Indian relationship
- How linking each nation's gross amount of emission permits to its population size at a base year could give a strong incentive for every country to lower their population size
- Western responsibility for historic CO2-emissions - Eastern responsibility for historic population increases? - Idea of placing the base year into the 20th century
- Not realistic?
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay aims to analyze the complexities of climate change mitigation negotiations and propose a concept that addresses the concerns of both developed and developing countries, specifically focusing on India and China. The essay seeks to bridge the negotiation positions of the United States, India, and China to achieve a more sustainable and equitable global climate change strategy. Key themes explored in the essay include:- The economic and environmental impact of climate change on India and China.
- The role of historic emissions in shaping current responsibility for climate change mitigation.
- The potential of international CO2 emissions trading as a mechanism for achieving climate change mitigation.
- The relationship between population growth and climate change mitigation.
- The feasibility and implications of different approaches to distributing the costs of climate change mitigation.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Abstract: The abstract outlines the essay's argument that the current deadlock in international climate change negotiations arises from the shifting of responsibility between developed and developing countries. The essay proposes an international CO2 emission trading system linked to population size as a solution for integrating India and China into global mitigation efforts.
- Introduction: Climate Change as A Major Threat to Development in India and China: This chapter highlights the significant impact of climate change on India and China, emphasizing the threats to their economic development and the need for urgent action.
- The Conflict: Pushing Around Responsibility Leads to Current Standstill: This chapter explores the conflict between developed and developing countries regarding responsibility for climate change and the consequences of this stalemate. It highlights the current stalemate in international negotiations due to the lack of legally binding emission reduction targets for major developing countries like China and India.
- No time left - The economic impact of climate change for India and China: This chapter delves into the economic impact of climate change on India and China, showcasing the potential consequences for their economies and development trajectories.
- A concept for reductions of GHG emissions down to sustainable levels that follows the US-position to include India and China while respecting their need for development: This chapter outlines a potential concept for integrating India and China into a global climate change mitigation strategy that respects their development needs while achieving sustainable emissions reduction. This chapter introduces the concept of international CO2 emissions trading and explores its potential as a mechanism for achieving these goals.
- Idea of an international, free trading of CO2-emission permits and the likely role of China, India and the USA in this trade: This chapter delves into the specific details of an international CO2 emissions trading system, outlining how it could work in practice and examining the potential roles of China, India, and the USA in this market.
- Suggested design of a real international emissions trade: This chapter proposes a specific design for an international CO2 emissions trading system, detailing its key elements and outlining how it could be implemented.
- The cost of climate change mitigation for MEDCs; the impact of the introduction of the new market on position of the Sino-Indian region towards the MEDCs and on the Sino-Indian relationship: This chapter examines the costs of climate change mitigation for developed countries and explores the impact of the proposed trading system on the relationship between China and India and their position relative to developed countries.
- How linking each nation's gross amount of emission permits to its population size at a base year could give a strong incentive for every country to lower their population size: This chapter explores the potential impact of linking emissions permits to population size, suggesting that this mechanism could provide a strong incentive for countries to reduce their population growth. This chapter focuses on the economic incentives of such a system and the potential benefits for sustainable development.
- Western responsibility for historic CO2-emissions - Eastern responsibility for historic population increases? - Idea of placing the base year into the 20th century: This chapter delves into the complexities of historical responsibility for climate change, exploring the role of both historical CO2 emissions from developed countries and the impact of historical population growth in developing countries. It introduces the idea of placing the base year for emissions trading in the 20th century to address these historical factors.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The essay delves into the complexities of climate change mitigation negotiations and proposes a concept that addresses the concerns of both developed and developing countries, specifically focusing on India and China. It explores key themes such as climate change impact, CO2 emissions, international CO2 emissions trading, population growth, sustainable development, historical responsibility, and economic incentives, advocating for a more equitable and sustainable approach to global climate change mitigation.- Quote paper
- Dirk Heine (Author), 2007, A climate for change, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/72842
