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Despite committing to nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global warming, countries have struggled to meet their emissions-reduction targets. This is particularly true for developing countries, where pressing economic and political challenges tend to overshadow long-term climate objectives.
Implementing effective climate policy requires a shift in thinking. Climate change is both a negative externality and an inequality problem, raising the question of who should bear the costs of climate action within and between countries. Policymakers should focus more on the complicated tradeoff between economic efficiency and equity to ensure that developing countries do not shoulder the burden of the rich world’s historical carbon dioxide emissions, and that measures are in place to safeguard future generations.
Of course, the Paris agreement set clear goals while adhering to the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities,” which means that all countries are responsible for addressing climate change, but not equally so. But there is still a tendency to focus on uniform targets. Consider the global push for net-zero greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 – a complimentary long-term goal outlined in the Paris agreement, and one with respect to which many developing countries remain far off track.
To achieve this ambitious goal, countries must be able to devise climate policy based on their capabilities and historical responsibilities, rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all strategy. Recent research suggests that this would require net-negative emissions targets for high-income countries, while allowing low-income countries to generate net-positive emissions. Of course, such differentiation is not a free pass: developing countries would still have to reduce GHG emissions. But this approach, embodying the spirit of “common but differentiated responsibilities,” better reflects their economic conditions and development needs.
