UN Says : Make Polluters Pay

 

Context :

Need to measure climate damage in monetary terms : UN special rapporteur  /  HT  /   04 Nov 2021

Extract :

The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and the environment,

David Boyd  ( srenvironment@ohchr.org   /  @SREnvironment ),

has said that new taxes on air travel and maritime shipping could raise money needed to compensate countries for “loss and damage” associated with extreme climate events. Loss and damage refers to the impacts of both extreme events such super cyclones, and slow onset events such as sea level rise. Vulnerable countries have been asking for these events to be compensated by the highest emitters, and the issue of loss and damage will be discussed at COP26.

Do you think developed countries will accept a polluter pays principle like this?

Yes, because these levies are a new source of climate finance that do not require governments to find the money in their budgets. Also, there is huge pressure to boost climate finance to address the rapidly escalating impacts of the climate crisis.

What exactly is the provision of loss and damage?

Loss and damage refers to the economic costs of damage inflicted by climate disasters as well as the non-economic damages like pain and suffering. To use a concrete example, the small Caribbean nation of Dominica has been hit by two Category 5 hurricanes in recent years, damaging over 90% of buildings, wrecking infrastructure, and inflicting costs larger than the whole country’s annual GDP. The people of Dominica are not responsible for the climate crisis but are on the front lines of adverse impacts of climate chaos. It is unjust to expect them to pay for the repairs and rebuilding. On the other hand, it is just for the wealthy nations who caused the crisis to pay for the loss and damage.

Has climate attribution science made it easier to claim legal damage?

The improving precision of climate attribution increases the probability that the major polluters, both nations and corporations, will be held liable one day for their outsized contributions to the climate crisis, just as increased attribution of respiratory illnesses, heart disease and cancer to smoking resulted in tobacco companies eventually being held liable.

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Polluter  Statistics :

Ø  80 % of greenhouse gas emissions come from the world’s wealthiest nations

Ø  India’s per capita emissions are

        #   7.0  times lower than that of the United States,

       #    3.4  times lower compared to China’s and

       #    3.0  times lower compared to the EU.

 

MY  TAKE :

Ø  Some 3 years ago, I submitted following proposal to “ make polluting vehicles “ pay ( what I named “ Trans-Tax “ ) , based on Satellite monitored computation of each vehicle’s “ Harm Quotient “ :

             Transport : an Integrated Logistic Plan ? …………….[ 20 Nov 2018 ]

 

Dear Shri David Boyd,

Even as I continue my efforts to convince Indian Policy Makers to implement my suggestion, I urge you to get it examined ( for its world-wide application ), by an Expert Committee of UN

With regards,

Hemen Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  04 Nov 2021

 

Related Readings :

Taxing the Polluters ……………………………….[ 25 Feb 2021 ]

 

Gadkariji : Green Tax is Good ……………….[ 26 Jan 2021 ]     

 

Pigovian Tax for Polluters ? …………………….[ 03 April 2019 ]