Justice in benefitting from carbon removal
Abstract Non-Technical Summary Climate stabilization requires scaling-up technologies to capture and store carbon. Carbon removal could be very profitable, and some of the agents best placed to benefit are ‘carbon majors’, i.e. fossil fuel companies. We argue that in ordinary circumstances only agen...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Global Sustainability |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2059479823000224/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797394372840390656 |
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| author | Dominic Lenzi Hanna Schübel Ivo Wallimann-Helmer |
| author_facet | Dominic Lenzi Hanna Schübel Ivo Wallimann-Helmer |
| author_sort | Dominic Lenzi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract
Non-Technical Summary
Climate stabilization requires scaling-up technologies to capture and store carbon. Carbon removal could be very profitable, and some of the agents best placed to benefit are ‘carbon majors’, i.e. fossil fuel companies. We argue that in ordinary circumstances only agents without significant historical climate responsibilities would be entitled to the full benefits from carbon removal. Under non-ideal conditions, carbon majors might be entitled to benefit, provided that no other agent could remove similar quantities of carbon at similar costs. This burden of proof is only likely to be met in countries with poor governance capacities.
Technical Summary
Climate stabilization requires scaling up technologies to capture and store carbon. Some of the agents best placed to profit from carbon removal are ‘carbon majors’, especially fossil fuel companies. Yet incentivizing carbon majors to undertake carbon removal poses an ethical dilemma: carbon majors have made significant historical contributions to climate change and have significantly benefitted from such contributions without being made to compensate for resulting climate harm. This is why it seems unfair to reward them with additional economic benefits. However, carbon majors possess the technological skills and infrastructure to upscale carbon removal efficiently. We argue that in ordinary circumstances, only agents without significant climate responsibilities would be morally entitled to fully benefit from carbon removal. Yet under non-ideal conditions, it might be permissible to reward carbon majors if no other agent were capable of removing as much carbon at similar costs and on similar timeframes. We believe this argument faces an imposing burden of proof that is only likely to be met in countries with poor governance capacities. In more favorable circumstances, including those of most OECD countries, rewarding carbon majors without having them pay for their historical climate responsibilities remains impermissible.
Social Media Summary
Rewarding carbon majors to undertake carbon dioxide removal is unjust due to their historical climate responsibilities. Where possible, governments should empower other agents to remove CO2.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:18:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dd1e2ced8e6b47f9b4b78af619b16171 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2059-4798 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:18:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj.art-dd1e2ced8e6b47f9b4b78af619b161712023-12-12T07:17:54ZengCambridge University PressGlobal Sustainability2059-47982023-01-01610.1017/sus.2023.22Justice in benefitting from carbon removalDominic Lenzi0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4388-4427Hanna Schübel1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5279-9270Ivo Wallimann-Helmer2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0548-6340Department of Philosophy, University of Twente, Enschede, The NetherlandsUniversity of Fribourg Environmental Sciences and Humanities Institute and Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandUniversity of Fribourg Environmental Sciences and Humanities Institute and Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandAbstract Non-Technical Summary Climate stabilization requires scaling-up technologies to capture and store carbon. Carbon removal could be very profitable, and some of the agents best placed to benefit are ‘carbon majors’, i.e. fossil fuel companies. We argue that in ordinary circumstances only agents without significant historical climate responsibilities would be entitled to the full benefits from carbon removal. Under non-ideal conditions, carbon majors might be entitled to benefit, provided that no other agent could remove similar quantities of carbon at similar costs. This burden of proof is only likely to be met in countries with poor governance capacities. Technical Summary Climate stabilization requires scaling up technologies to capture and store carbon. Some of the agents best placed to profit from carbon removal are ‘carbon majors’, especially fossil fuel companies. Yet incentivizing carbon majors to undertake carbon removal poses an ethical dilemma: carbon majors have made significant historical contributions to climate change and have significantly benefitted from such contributions without being made to compensate for resulting climate harm. This is why it seems unfair to reward them with additional economic benefits. However, carbon majors possess the technological skills and infrastructure to upscale carbon removal efficiently. We argue that in ordinary circumstances, only agents without significant climate responsibilities would be morally entitled to fully benefit from carbon removal. Yet under non-ideal conditions, it might be permissible to reward carbon majors if no other agent were capable of removing as much carbon at similar costs and on similar timeframes. We believe this argument faces an imposing burden of proof that is only likely to be met in countries with poor governance capacities. In more favorable circumstances, including those of most OECD countries, rewarding carbon majors without having them pay for their historical climate responsibilities remains impermissible. Social Media Summary Rewarding carbon majors to undertake carbon dioxide removal is unjust due to their historical climate responsibilities. Where possible, governments should empower other agents to remove CO2. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2059479823000224/type/journal_articleadaptation and mitigationpoliciespolitics and governance |
| spellingShingle | Dominic Lenzi Hanna Schübel Ivo Wallimann-Helmer Justice in benefitting from carbon removal Global Sustainability adaptation and mitigation policies politics and governance |
| title | Justice in benefitting from carbon removal |
| title_full | Justice in benefitting from carbon removal |
| title_fullStr | Justice in benefitting from carbon removal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Justice in benefitting from carbon removal |
| title_short | Justice in benefitting from carbon removal |
| title_sort | justice in benefitting from carbon removal |
| topic | adaptation and mitigation policies politics and governance |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2059479823000224/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dominiclenzi justiceinbenefittingfromcarbonremoval AT hannaschubel justiceinbenefittingfromcarbonremoval AT ivowallimannhelmer justiceinbenefittingfromcarbonremoval |