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Åsa Knaggård

Associate professor | Senior lecturer | Researcher CEC | Principal investigator BECC | Health and safety representative | Recognised Teaching Practitioner

Profile picture of Åsa Knaggård. Photo.

A Fair Distribution of Responsibility for Climate Adaptation : Translating Principles of Distribution from an International to a Local Context

Author

  • Erik Persson
  • Kerstin Eriksson
  • Åsa Knaggård

Summary, in English

Distribution of responsibility is one of the main focus areas in discussions about climate change ethics. Most of these discussions deal with the distribution of responsibility for climate change mitigation at the international level. The aim of this paper is to investigate if and how these principles can be used to inform the search for a fair distribution of responsibility for climate change adaptation on the local level. We found that the most influential distribution principles on the international level were in turn built on one or more of seven basic principles: (P1) equal shares, (P2) desert, (P3) beneficiary pays, (P4) ability, (P5) self-help, (P6) limited responsibility for the worst off, and (P7) status quo preservation. It was found that all the basic principles, but P1, P3, and P7, are to some extent translatable to local climate adaptation. Two major problems hamper their usefulness on the local level: (1) several categories of agents need to take on responsibility; and (2) emissions do not work as a base for all principles. P4, P5, and P6 are applicable to local adaptation without changes. P4 is of particular importance as it seems to solve the first problem. P2 is applicable only if the second problem is solved, which can be achieved by using risk of harm instead of emissions as the basis for desert.

Department/s

  • Practical Philosophy
  • Department of Political Science
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate

Publishing year

2021

Language

English

Publication/Series

Philosophies

Volume

6

Issue

3

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

MDPI AG

Topic

  • Ethics

Keywords

  • Climate change adaptation
  • Fair distribution
  • Forward-looking responsibility
  • Local adaptation
  • Responsibility

Status

Published

Project

  • Sustainable Distribution of Responsibility for Climate Change Adaptation
  • Sustainable Distribution of Responsibility for Climate Change Adaptation

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2409-9287