UnDisciplined: What's 'fair' when it comes to climate action? - Utah Public Radio
UnDisciplined: What's 'fair' when it comes to climate action? | Utah Public Radio
UnDisciplined: What's 'fair' when it comes to climate action?
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When humans debate climate policy — about the things we can do to mitigate the damage that has been done and adapt to the world that is coming — the questions asked are often posed in terms of what will work best. Fairness isn’t always, or even often, taken into account. But from nation to nation, and even within single countries, there are huge gaps in responsibility for climate change. And the actions that can have an impact from here on out won’t affect everyone equally. As we address climate change, is something resembling justice even possible? Stacia Ryder thinks it is — but only if we stop avoiding the issue of fairness in climate action.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”