The upcoming COP29 in November 2024 offers a critical opportunity to enforce the ‘polluter pays’ principle in climate policy. Despite its theoretical acceptance, practical implementation has been lacking, allowing major polluters to evade accountability. Urgent measures are needed to compel corporations and countries to take responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions, particularly as global temperatures approach irreversible limits. The conference must champion enforceable penalties and a commitment to true climate justice, ensuring that vulnerable communities do not disproportionately suffer the impacts of climate change.
The forthcoming 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), scheduled to take place in Azerbaijan in November 2024, marks a pivotal opportunity for the global community to address climate change by enforcing the ‘polluter pays’ principle. This principle asserts that those responsible for pollution should bear the financial costs associated with managing it, thereby safeguarding public health and the environment. Despite its theoretical acceptance, this principle has faced significant implementation challenges, allowing major corporations and nations to continue pollution with minimal repercussions. The principle holds particular relevance given the alarming trajectory of global warming, with temperatures surpassing 2°C above pre-industrial levels as of 17 November 2023. Such climatic changes pose severe consequences, particularly for developing regions. For instance, failing to halt greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 could impose an annual economic burden of $50 billion on Africa alone and results in projected fatalities of 250,000 individuals globally between 2030 and 2050. As a professor of environmental science with a focus on fossil fuel pollution and its community impacts in South Africa, I advocate that COP29 must champion measures that hold polluters accountable. Key strategies should include the imposition of taxes on emissions, mandates for reparations for historical pollution, and enabling courts to award damages for climate-related harm. Historically, previous COPs have not succeeded in securing the necessary emission reductions from major polluters. The legally binding Paris Agreement established at COP21 in 2015 set ambitious limits on global warming, with nearly 200 nations committing to voluntary Nationally Determined Contributions for emissions reduction. Unfortunately, these commitments lack enforceable consequences, resulting in significant non-compliance from many signatories, notably the United States. COP29 has the potential to introduce enforceable penalties for non-compliant entities, which may include terminating fossil fuel subsidies that encourage continued emissions, instituting mandatory global climate liability mechanisms, and enhancing carbon pricing strategies. The call for accountability extends to the implementation of stricter financial transparency laws that require companies to disclose their environmental impacts considerably, thereby facilitating governmental and international oversight. Furthermore, historical emissions present another critical area requiring redress. Current discussions should include the establishment of a climate reparations fund where fossil fuel companies contribute financial resources equivalent to their past excesses. In conclusion, COP29 represents a crucial international platform where the collective resolve to enforce the polluter pays principle can be translated into concrete actions. This includes constructing a framework for punitive financial contributions from significant greenhouse gas emitters. The success of these measures hinges on the commitment of both governments and corporations to principles of justice and equity, ensuring that vulnerable communities, particularly in Africa, do not disproportionately bear the burden of climate change.
The ‘polluter pays’ principle is a foundational concept in environmental economics and climate policy. It is designed to ensure that those who cause environmental harm are held financially responsible for the costs associated with their actions. Although widely endorsed, the principle faces practical challenges in enforcement, especially with powerful corporations and economically significant nations that resist stringent regulations. The urgency for effective policy measures has increased as global temperature records indicate an accelerated pace of climate change, necessitating immediate action to mitigate its impacts on vulnerable populations.
COP29 is poised to be a transformative moment for climate accountability. By actively embracing and enforcing the ‘polluter pays’ principle, the international community can create a framework that dedicates financial resources from major polluters to climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. Such actions are essential to ensure equity and justice in the face of climate change, particularly for those nations that have historically contributed the least to global emissions, yet suffer the most from its consequences.
Original Source: theconversation.com
