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Climate Change Mitigation Techniques and International Law: Assessing the Externalities of Reforestation and Geoengineering
Author(s) -
Ryngaert Cedric
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
ratio juris
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.344
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 1467-9337
pISSN - 0952-1917
DOI - 10.1111/raju.12154
Subject(s) - climate change , externality , climate justice , public good , reforestation , climate change mitigation , natural resource economics , economic justice , payment , business , global warming , public economics , law and economics , political science , environmental planning , economics , law , ecology , geography , finance , biology , microeconomics
As a subspecies of the climate justice debate, a compelling moral case can be made that actors should receive their fair share of benefits and burdens, and more specifically, that those who benefit from the provision of public goods ought, under some circumstances, to share in the costs of their provision. The climate justice debate has paid relatively scant attention, however, to the possible adverse side‐effects of climate mitigation mechanisms. The article reviews such global public goods‐protecting techniques as compensation payments for keeping rainforests intact, and climate engineering, for their adverse impact on human rights and biodiversity. Espousing a consequentialist ethical perspective, it calls for increased vigilance in institutionally designing and implementing climate change mitigation mechanisms, however well‐intentioned these may be.