[DEBATE] : (Fwd) North-South climate debt: Bolivia tells it straight

[Patrick Bond]

(This is part of material Morales' government just submitted within the 
Bali Action Plan; although there's nothing earth-shattering or deeply 
radical, it's great to see another government back up the analysis that 
as I recall was first offered by Accion Ecologica of Ecuador along with 
Joan Martinez-Alier around 12 years ago. There's also more techie 
analysis and appendices I can send anyone interested. It's up to the 
climate justice movement to make this eco-debt argument move, and push 
away CDM market myopia in favour of 'repay the ecological debt!' demands.)


Evaluating developed countries’ historical climate debt to developing 
countries

Submission by Bolivia

Introduction

We call on developed countries to commit to deep emission reductions in 
order to advance the objective of avoiding dangerous anthropogenic 
interference with the climate system and its consequences, to reflect 
their historical responsibility for the causes of climate change, and to 
respect the principles of equity and common but differentiated 
responsibilities in accordance with the UNFCCC.

The causes and consequence of climate change

Since 1750 the emission of greenhouse gases has increased significantly 
as the result of human activities. These emissions have accumulated in 
the atmosphere leading to current atmospheric concentrations, which now 
far exceed levels dating back hundreds of thousands of years. These 
concentrations, in turn, are warming the Earth with significant and 
catastrophic effects. Current levels of warming are already damaging 
forest, mountain and other ecosystems, melting snow and glaciers, 
thinning ice sheets, causing the oceans to rise and acidify, threatening 
coral reefs and intensifying droughts and floods, fires and extreme 
weather events. These adverse effects threaten to worsen the damages 
already produced by the current global warming on the Earth’s systems.

The countries most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change 
are developing countries. Climate-induced disasters, water stress, 
adverse impacts on agriculture, threats to coastlines, ecosystems and 
infrastructure, and altered disease vectors are already imposing 
substantial and rising costs, damages and setbacks in development – 
undermining developing countries’ rights and aspirations to development.

The historical cumulative emissions debt of developed countries

Responsibility for the majority of the historical emissions contributing 
to current atmospheric concentrations and to current and committed 
future warming lies with developed countries. Developed countries with 
less than twenty percent of the world’s population are responsible for 
around three quarters of historical emissions. Their current per person 
emissions continue to exceed those of developing countries by a factor 
of four. Their accumulated historic emissions on a per person basis 
exceed those of developing countries by a factor of eleven.

Developed countries – which have contributed disproportionately to the 
causes of climate change – now seek to appropriate a disproportionate 
share of the Earth’s remaining environmental space. By basing their 
future emission allowances on their past excessive level of emissions, 
they seek an entitlement to continue emitting at 70% or more of their 
1990 levels through until 2020 (i.e. consistent with reductions of 30% 
or less). At the same time, they propose limiting developing countries – 
which most need environmental space in the course of their development – 
to much lower levels of per person emissions.

The excessive past, current and proposed future emissions of developed 
countries are depriving and will further deprive developing countries of 
an equitable share of the much diminished environmental space they 
require for their development and to which they have a right. By 
overconsuming the Earth’s limited capacity to absorb greenhouse gases, 
developed countries have run up an “emissions debt” which must be repaid 
to developing countries by compensating them for lost environmental 
space, stabilizing temperature and by freeing up space for the growth 
required by developing countries in the future.

Quantifying developed countries’ mitigation commitments

Developed countries’ commitments to reduce emissions should be 
sufficient to address their historical emission debt, minimize their 
contribution to further adverse impacts on the climate and developing 
countries, provide sufficient environmental space for developing 
countries to develop, and conform with the ultimate objective of the 
Convention.

The scale and timing of these commitments should reflect the latest 
scientific information and be rooted in the objective, principles and 
provisions of the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol. They should be 
quantified on the basis of a clear and objective methodology that 
reflects, among other factors:

• The historic responsibility of developed countries for current 
atmospheric concentrations;

• The historic and current per-capita emissions of developed countries; and

• The share of global emissions required by developing countries in 
order to meet their first overriding priorities which are the economic 
and social development and poverty eradication.

The establishment of assigned amounts of emissions for developed 
countries is a question of policy as well as science and must address 
issues of equity as well as effectiveness. The level of their assigned 
amounts also bears a close relationship to the extent of their 
obligations to provide compensation for the effects of climate change. 
Bearing in mind these considerations, the Annex to this document offers 
some possible elements of a methodology for evaluating developed 
countries’ emission debt and associated further mitigation commitments.

Emissions and adaptation debts are components of climate and ecological 
debt

Despite not being responsible for the problem of global warming, 
developing countries are among the worst affected its adverse impacts. 
The historical emissions of developed countries, as well as denying 
developing countries the atmospheric space they need for development, 
are harming poor countries and people who live daily with rising costs, 
damages and lost opportunities for development.

These impacts are the direct result of current atmospheric 
concentrations, which have been caused predominantly by emissions from 
developed countries. Developed countries are thus responsible for 
compensating developing countries for their contribution to the adverse 
effects of climate change as part of an “adaptation debt” owed by 
developed countries to developing countries. Developed countries 
“climate debt” – the sum of their emissions debt and adaptation debt – 
are part of a broader ecological debt reflecting their heavy 
environmental footprint, excessive consumption of resources, materials 
and energy and contribution to declining biodiversity and ecosystem 
services.

Repaying their climate debt

The climate debt of developed countries must be repaid, and this payment 
must begin with the outcomes to be agreed in Copenhagen.

Developing countries are not seeking economic handouts to solve a 
problem we did not cause. What we call for is full payment of the debt 
owed to us by developed countries for threatening the integrity of the 
Earth’s climate system, for over-consuming a shared resource that 
belongs fairly and equally to all people, and for maintaining lifestyles 
that continue to threaten the lives and livelihoods of the poor majority 
of the planet’s population. This debt must be repaid by freeing up 
environmental space for developing countries and particular the poorest 
communities.

There is no viable solution to climate change that is effective without 
being equitable. Deep emission reductions by developed countries are a 
necessary condition for stabilizing the Earth’s climate. So too are 
profoundly larger transfers of technologies and financial resources than 
so far considered, if emissions are to be curbed in developing countries 
and they are also to realize their right to development and achieve 
their overriding priorities of poverty eradication and economic and 
social development. Any solution that does not ensure an equitable 
distribution of the Earth’s limited capacity to absorb greenhouse gases, 
as well as the costs of mitigating and adapting to climate change, is 
destined to fail.

Developed countries must therefore fulfill their responsibilities 
through deeper domestic emission reduction commitments than so far 
considered in the current negotiations, and through all available means 
to generate the opportunities required for developing countries to 
achieve their development. Developing countries are willing to play 
their part in addressing this common challenge. But any such 
participation can and must be based on the provisions of the Convention, 
on a clear understanding of the causes of climate change and its 
consequences, and on an equitable approach to stabilizing the Earth’s 
climate system and to ensuring a sustainable future.