Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mitigation Of Short-Lived Greenhouse Gases As The Foundation For A Fair And Effective Climate Compromise Between China And The West, Frances C. Moore, Michael C. Maccracken

Conference on China and Global Climate Change : Reconciling International Fairness and Protection of the Atmospheric Commons

Short-lived greenhouse gases that also contribute to air pollution are playing a major role in global warming. Black carbon alone is likely the second or third most important climate forcing agent. The short atmospheric lifetime of these pollutants means that, unlike CO2, reducing emissions produces a decrease in atmospheric concentration and a reduction of the radiative forcing that drives climate change. Black carbon and tropospheric ozone also have large negative effects at the regional and local level contributing substantially to indoor and urban air pollution and the formation of Atmospheric Brown Clouds that disrupt regional climate. Moreover, technologies to reduce …

The Chinese [Climate] Box : A Scalar Approach To Evaluating Ethical Obligations In Climate Strategies For China, Erich W. Schienke

Conference on China and Global Climate Change : Reconciling International Fairness and Protection of the Atmospheric Commons

Assuming that all nations have the ethical obligation to reduce emissions to their global fair share, this paper investigates how distributive and procedural justice obligations, under the broader rubric of Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change program, play out across various political and ecological scales in China. As China is such a large and necessary player in any global strategies for addressing climate change, it is imperative that the nation receive closer ethical investigation across scales and sectors, and that other nations and multi-national corporations do their fair share in helping China's various regions and sectors reach its obligations in a …

Differentiating (Historic) Responsibilities For Climate Change : Exploring The Case Of China, Christian Ellermann, Niklas Höhne

Conference on China and Global Climate Change : Reconciling International Fairness and Protection of the Atmospheric Commons

Following the conclusion of the official work of the Ad hoc group for the modelling and assessment of contributions of climate change (MATCH), this paper takes a look on the politically more sensitive aspect of the Brazilian Proposal, namely the issue of differentiating (historic) responsibility for, and not merely (causal) contribution to climate change. Its aim is (i) to highlight the fact that, while related, the two issues (‘contribution to’ and ‘responsibility for’) are fundamentally different and should not be confused, (ii) to propose a methodology of calculating shares of responsibilities as opposed to the shares in causal contribution arrived …

The Right To Equal Aspirations And The Obligation To Be Different, As A Basis For A Common Future, Olivia Bina

Conference on China and Global Climate Change : Reconciling International Fairness and Protection of the Atmospheric Commons

By virtue of its sheer size and growth trajectory, China knows it cannot be ignored. The question is whether it can offer leadership in terms of greater responsibility, both towards its own people and the rest of the world. The climate change crisis is the ultimate expression of unsustainable patterns of growth. Based on this perspective of the climate change debate, I explore the theme of responsibility as traditionally focused around the need to limit emissions, but also in terms of the obligation to pursue development aspirations through a different path. I consider the argument that China’s leadership has an …

Climate Duties, Human Rights And Historic Emissions, Derek Bell

Conference on China and Global Climate Change : Reconciling International Fairness and Protection of the Atmospheric Commons

The problem of global climate change cannot be resolved without the cooperation of both China and the USA. However, neither government appears close to signing up to mandatory emissions reductions. Both nations defend their climate policies by appealing to ideas of fairness, equity and justice. This paper outlines the arguments offered by Chinese opponents of mandatory emissions reductions, highlighting three central claims about historical responsibility, ability to pay and the right to development. The first part of the paper examines these claims, the arguments supporting them, the relationships among them and their implications for a just global climate regime. Two …

Getting Hotter : How Could China’S Climate Change Policy Trajectory Impact A Post-Kyoto Accord?, Gloria Jean Gong

Conference on China and Global Climate Change : Reconciling International Fairness and Protection of the Atmospheric Commons

China’s unprecedented economic growth has given rise to equally rapid increases in greenhouse gas emissions. China has already ratified the Kyoto and Montreal Protocols, yet as the international community looks beyond Kyoto, China’s willingness to adhere to binding emissions standards remains a critical question. This study describes and analyzes the factors that influence China’s possible participation in a binding greenhouse gas emissions treaty. Existing international treaty compliance models often overlook China’s own official policies and stances toward such treaties. This study examines China’s current climate change policy, historical adjustments of that policy, and potential future trajectory to determine the factors …

Climate Change, Water, And China’S Security : Implications For Global Cooperation On Climate Change, Scott Moore

Conference on China and Global Climate Change : Reconciling International Fairness and Protection of the Atmospheric Commons

This paper links the issues of climate change, water, and China’s security, arguing that the water-related impacts of climate change post significant strategic challenges for China and Asia, with consequent implications for China’s participation and engagement in global climate change cooperation efforts. Specifically, water-related climate impacts will strain the capacity of many key public institutions, and imperil the government’s strategic development objectives. Recognizing these imperatives points the way toward a strategic dialogue with China on climate change. This paper first discusses scientific assessments of predicted hydrological changes in China and neighboring countries under climate change, progressing to a security analysis …

Global Sustainability, Climate Change And China : The Need For A New Paradigm For International Cooperation, Mukul Sanwal

Conference on China and Global Climate Change : Reconciling International Fairness and Protection of the Atmospheric Commons

The basic assumptions of global environmental sustainability around international cooperation that were laid out fifty years ago no longer hold. This common understanding was based on the fact of the historical responsibility of developed countries for causing the pollution – developed countries would do whatever has to be done and support developing countries through provision of financial resources and technology. Therefore, to ensure global sustainability, we have to seriously consider whether adopting a defensive posture in the ongoing climate negotiations is the best policy or, with the balance of economic power shifting out of the United States and Europe to …

Two Logics Of Climate Change Games : Environmental Governance And Know-How Competition, Hongyuan Yu

Conference on China and Global Climate Change : Reconciling International Fairness and Protection of the Atmospheric Commons

Global warming and the resulting climate change present the world with major and potentially devastating challenges. They lead to environmental degradation/scarcity and a radical reform of the energy mix among industrial countries, in addition to other nontraditional security concerns.2 From the 1992 Rio Summit through the Kyoto Conference and the Bali Roadmap, a generation has passed since the world's governments began to seriously consider the problems of global warming and the resulting climate change. It is now patently clear that the world should get together to combat the climate disaster. However, we are always confused with two questions: why has …

Introduction, Paul G. Harris

Conference on China and Global Climate Change : Reconciling International Fairness and Protection of the Atmospheric Commons

In December 2009, diplomats will meet in Copenhagen to finalize what many hope will be a strong agreement to fight global warming and climate change. They will grapple with how to address these problems in light of new scientific findings showing that the adverse effects of global warming are happening sooner and are more severe than scientists predicted only a year or two ago. Some countries, notably in Europe, have started to take serious steps to limit and in several cases reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

However, those efforts have been very slow in coming, …