The Impossible Necessity of Climate Justice?

This article from the Melbourne Journal of International Law sure has a great abstract:

“It will be difficult to find an agreed solution to climate change that does not engage with climate justice. It is generally regarded as naive, when considering international relations, to focus on justice, or to emphasize right over might. In the case of climate change – perhaps uniquely – even the powerful need a genuinely global solution, which cannot be achieved without an engagement with justice. In this instance, might needs right.

This think piece focuses on the North-South aspect of climate justice. It starts by unpacking the reasons why climate justice is important. It then argues that to assess whether a climate agreement or proposal is just, we need to examine four factors. Two are positive: that it should involve dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas concentrations; and that it should be fair and take into account both the varied current and historical responsibilities and the differing existing capacities of all involved. Two are negative: that it should not increase inequality; and that it should not increase the potential for international conflict. After outlining each of these components and why they are critical, I assess four broad proposals for dealing with climate change to see how they measure up. These are: equally-shared cuts in emissions; the ‘contract and converge’ model; the greenhouse development rights framework; and geo-engineering.”