3 - The Demands of Climate Justice

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Part I of this book develops a climate justice account that clarifies what exactly is normatively expected of climate change actors. Once this is clear, the book can turn to assessing to what extent policymakers have met these normative expectations in Part II. So far, Chapter 1 has set out a scope of justice that is both relational and non-relational in order to include the primary victims of climate change in the realm of moral concern. Chapter 2 has set out a minimum threshold that must be protected by policymakers: the human right to health, defined as ‘the right to a standard of living adequate for health, including the right to be adequately nourished and have adequate shelter’. The current chapter completes Part I by focusing on what action must be taken in the face of climate change and who should be responsible this action. In answering these two questions, the chapter will set out three demands of climate justice that must underwrite a more just global response to climate change. Setting out these demands enables the book to move on to assessing to what extent the global response to climate change has met these demands in Part II.

The chapter is organised into three main parts, each one developing a demand of justice. The first part focuses on what action must be taken on climate change. Here, the chapter puts forward that the human right to health must be protected: temperatures must be kept below the 2^°C threshold, and adaptation must be prioritised alongside mitigation. The second and third parts of the chapter then turn to the question of who should be responsible for climate change action. Part two considers the relationship between developed and less developed countries, focusing on what this relationship means for the fair allocation of responsibilities. In doing so, the chapter develops the ‘Polluter's Ability to Pay’ or PATP model, which holds states accountable for climate action in line with their emissions and wealth levels. The third part of the chapter then explores whether there are any other actors who should be held to account for climate change action.