Who Should Pay for Climate Change?

Who Should Pay for Climate Change?

Climate change and global warming have been a critical issue since the 19th century. According to Hirs (2020), countries have forecasted and analyzed global warming impacts since the 1970s; for example, Martin Weitzman’s explanation of the irreversible costs of environmental damage. However, many scholars debate whether the developed countries must pay all the climate change policies’ costs. Since research indicates that industrialized nations are major contributors to most of the greenhouse pollutions that result in the current climate change, most people argue that they should recompense the highest or all climate change policy charges (Tilton, 2016). The controversy to the issue is that while the principle focuses on the previous pollutions instead of modern productions, it permits emerging nations to continue contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, both established and unindustrialized states should pay the costs of global warming because of three primary reasons. Firstly, developed countries should pay because they have a high per capita income, and they are the major contributors to global warming. Secondly, both developed and developing are beneficiaries of climate change policies. Thirdly, people from industrialized and emergent nations should pay because climate change affects all. Consequently, both developed and developing countries should pay for climate change costs because they are all either contributors to global warming or beneficiaries of climate change.

First, developed countries should pay climate change costs because they have a higher per capita income than developing countries, and they are a significant contributor to the global warming problem. Since research indicates that developed countries have contributed to global warming, and they are wealthy, they should pay for the costs of climate change policies (Tilton, 2016). Nonetheless, this argument ignores producers who emit greenhouse gases in developing countries because of their current industrialization. Therefore, the developed countries should be allocated the costs not only because of their contribution to the pollutions but also because of their ability- and willingness- to pay. Although the polluter pays principle contends that most of the burden for paying the costs of climate policies should be left for the developed countries, they can be allocated the costs according to wealth and willingness.

Second, although developed countries can pay, developing ones should also contribute by involving wealthy individuals because they are beneficiaries of climate change policies. According to Farber (2007), people who benefit from an adaptation of climate change should pay the cost because it is illogical for people who stay in riskier areas to demand other citizens to pay for their protection from the risks. The principle can be applied in several ways. One way is for the government to finance various projects through specific tax assessments for improvements that are a result of climate change. For example, if new varieties of wheat are required because of climate change, farmers can pay a particular fee. Besides, if areas with high flood need additional levees, landowners may give additional funds. Consequently, both developed and developing countries should participate in paying climate change costs because they both benefit from the results of climate policies.

Third, people from developed and developing countries should pay climate change policies’ budgets because the issues affect all: developed and developing countries. Farrell (2019) reports that intensifying temperatures kill over 150,000 individuals every year. Additionally, estimated deaths will increase to 1.5 million people by the turn of the century (Farrell, 2019). In this regard, each country should pay the cost of climate change policies because inactivity will result in detrimental effects on vulnerable people, such as poor, sick, elderly, and children, in developing countries (Farrell, 2019). While it is true that most developing countries have less economic stability and low per capita income, they have wealthy individuals who can be assigned the obligations to pay for the climate changes (Baer, Athanasiou, Kartha, & Kemp-Benedict, 2009). Thus, wealthy people from developing countries can also contribute to paying the cost of climate change policies because the issue is international.

Generally, the topic is essential because it provides a solution for determining which countries should participate in paying for climate change policies, rather than answer how to prevent pollution. Various individuals argue that the developed countries should recompense all the climate change policies’ charges because they are the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, since developing countries have producers who currently emit gases that pollute the environment, they should also get involved in paying for the costs. Overall, rich and developing countries should pay for the cost of climate change policies because it affects everyone, and both are beneficiaries of the policies. Moreover, established states have a higher per capita income than in unindustrialized nations. Future research should focus on determining how developing countries can help in contributing to the cost of climate change policies despite their low per capita income.

References

Baer, P., Athanasiou, T., Kartha, S., & Kemp-Benedict, E. (2009). Greenhouse Development Rights: A Proposal for a Fair Global Climate Treaty. Ethics, Place & Environment, 12(3), p. 267-281. doi: 10.1080/13668790903195495

Farber, D. A. (2007). Adapting to climate change: who should pay. Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law, 23(1), 1-37. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42842937

Farrell, H. (2019). Don’t Ask How to Pay for Climate Change. Ask Who. Retrieved 11 February 2020, from https://www.wired.com/story/dont-ask-how-to-pay-for-climate-change-ask-who/

Hirs, E. (2020). Pay Now Or Pay Later: The Certain Cost Of Climate Change. Retrieved 1 February 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/uhenergy/2019/09/23/pay-now-or-pay-later-the-certain-cost-of-climate-change/

Tilton, J. E. (2016). Global climate policy and the polluter pays principle: A different perspective. Resources Policy, 50, p. 117-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2016.08.010