Approach

The “Climate Change and Justice” project sets out to identify the interactions between preventing hazardous climate change and combating global poverty. Its objective is to develop suitable strategies and options for global climate and energy policy which will support rather than undermine national and international efforts towards poverty reduction. This calls for integrated analysis from several perspectives:

1. Firstly the impacts of climate change on developing countries must be examined, particularly in relation to the poor and their capacity to cope with climate change impacts. Climate change impacts and options for action should be assessed both globally and regionally and classified in terms of the vulnerability of particular regions and population groups, to facilitate a clearer view of the specific distributional impacts.

2. The linkage between climate change and poverty suggests that the question of justice should not be reduced to the allocation of emissions rights, but extended to the worldwide distribution of “wealth” in all its forms. The capacity to cope with climate change and overcome poverty is determined not only by material capital but also by natural, human and social capital. Individual countries themselves bear primary responsibility for building such capacity, by means of policies conducive to development. However, in view of the manifold interactions and interdependencies in today’s globalised world, the effectiveness of national-level measures is limited. Hence the climate question needs to be embedded in the context of a policy for humane globalisation.

3. The methodological approach is based on clear concepts, comprehensive analyses and precise models. This includes transparent presentation of the underlying value premises and objectives, and their convincing justification in the most universal terms: many previous studies have omitted this element. Such an interdisciplinary approach must incorporate current insights and developments, both from climate impact research and from social ethics and the social sciences.