The Climate Equity Reference Calculator is a general online equity reference tool and database that systematically applies a generalized and transparent equity reference framework with the goal of quantitatively examining the problem of national fair shares in a global effort to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It can be applied using a range of possible assumptions, and whatever values are chosen, they are applied to all countries, in a dynamic fashion that reflects the changing global economy.
The Calculator is designed to allow the user to specify their own preferred interpretation of national responsibility and capacity for climate action. This interpretation is then used, together with standard demographic and macroeconomic indicators, to determine each country’s implied fair share of the global mitigation effort. The Calculator is designed to be quite flexible — as is immediately visible from the options presented in their “Equity Settings” greeting pages, and the further options available within the Calculator’s Settings panel. The goal is to support a wide range of plausibly legitimate interpretations of the Convention’s core equity principles.
More Information
The Climate Equity Reference Framework
- About the Climate Equity Reference Project Effort-sharing Approach
- Comparable Effort in a Low Ambition World
- High Equity, Low Equity, and the “Equity Band”
INDC Assessment
- National INDC Assessments
- National Fair Shares: The Mitigation Gap – Domestic Actions & International Support
- About the Climate Equity Reference Project Resource-sharing Approach
More Technical Information
- Three salient global mitigation pathways, assessed in light of the IPCC carbon budgets
- Definition, sourcing, and updating of the emissions baselines
- The Climate Equity Reference Calculator database
- The disaggregation of the EU pledges
- The deeper technical documentation
Credits
The Calculator was developed by Tom Athanasiou & Paul Baer of EcoEquity and Sivan Kartha & Eric Kemp-Benedict of the Stockholm Environment Institute, who also developed a specific effort-sharing approach, the Greenhouse Development Rights framework (which has since been generalized into the Climate Equity Reference framework. Most of the initial Calculator programming was also done by Eric, with the assistance of Douglas Wang. Tyler Kemp-Benedict did most of the user-interface design and implementation. More recently, Christian Holz has joined the CERP team, and among much else, has become a key team programmer. The core funding for these effort has been provided by the Stockholm Environment Institute, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Christian Aid.
Disclaimer
We are continually developing the Climate Equity Reference Calculator, and often make changes to the underlying database. Please check with us before using the outputs in a publication to ensure that you are using the most recent stable version. And do send feedback.
