By: Dr. Tejal Kanitkar, Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai.

Date & Hour: 06 June 2019, 4:00 pm

Venue: Seminar Hall 1

Title: Equity in Climate Change: GST and Long Term Climate Goals

Abstract: With less than two years to go before the Paris Agreement becomes fully operational, it is necessary to examine the means of operationalising the principles of equity in the framework of this agreement, within the overall scope of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Article 14 of the Paris Agreement states that the Global Stock take (GST) is meant to collectively assess the progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement “in the light of equity and the best available science”. In this context this chapter discusses the possibilities of a framework with science and equity as the two basic elements to be explicitly operationalised in the GST. The most popular approaches to operationalising equity in climate change mitigation are also discussed in this chapter. We argue that the carbon budget approach has a central role to play in the (GST). We further argue that developing countries should claim a fair share of carbon space as a longer term goal as it serves multiple goals – i) it helps align the operationalization of the Paris Agreement closer to climate science, ii) it operationalises the principle of equity and iii) It provides the developing countries with some breathing space and flexibility when it comes to planning for the developmental needs of their population in relation to mitigation.