Equity in Climate Action

Context (TH): Researchers argue that current climate action scenarios overlook the historical responsibility of developed countries and lack equity prioritisation.
For e.g, Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) used for mitigation pathways often neglect equity principles.
They advocate for models and scenarios that prioritise equity and climate justice.
A recent study provides evidence supporting the aforementioned assertions.

About Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Reports

The reports by the UN IPCC are currently in its Seventh Assessment cycle (AR7).
These reports assess climate-related scientific literature to provide insights into the state of knowledge on climate change.
The UN IPCC utilises Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) to develop “modelled pathways” to estimate global warming. For example, its energy models can project future consumption.
IAMs are sophisticated models that analyse human and earth systems to forecast potential futures for energy, climate, and economies.
These models integrate various disciplines, including macroeconomics, energy consumption, land use changes, and climate dynamics, to offer policy-relevant insights on climate action.
However, IAMs have limitations.
- Firstly, it prioritises least-cost assessments. For e.g, the absolute cost of setting up a solar plant or undertaking afforestation in India is lower than in the U.S.
- Secondly, it neglects equitable burden-sharing among nations (Equity).
Despite these shortcomings, IAMs play a crucial role in informing climate policy decisions.

Researchers from the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, and M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, conducted the study. They assessed 556 out of 700 scenarios in IPCC’s AR6 report.
They found that Global scenarios projected in IPCC’s AR6 report indicate more carbon sequestration and CCS deployment in developing nations.
This implies that developing countries may bear the responsibility for both mitigation and carbon dioxide removal.
The scenarios overlook the historical responsibility of the Global North for climate issues.

The UNFCCC emphasises equity and differentiated responsibilities, urging developed nations to take the lead in fighting climate change.
Equity suggests that developed areas should aim for net negative emissions and share the remaining carbon budget with less developed regions.
Developed regions should take more responsibility for reducing emissions and supporting less developed areas in their climate efforts.
This approach aims to ensure fairness and equal participation in addressing climate change across regions.