Christian Ecology Link prayer topic for today

Can a new climate treaty be built on strong principles of equity? This depends on the answers to two questions: How should rights to emit greenhouse gases be allocated? Who should bear the costs of emissions reductions? Four competing principles have been advocated: Under the Egalitarian Principle everyone on the planet has the same emission allowance. So India, with a population 3.8 times the size of the US, would be entitled to 3.8 times the US emissions allowance. Under the Sovereignty Principle every nation reduces its emissions by the same percentage. For a 10% reduction, for example, the US would reduce its emissions by 579 million tons of CO2 while India reduces hers by 141 million tons. Under the Polluter Pays Principle, the US since 1950 has emitted ten times as much CO2 as India, therefore the US bill for dealing with climate costs should be ten times greater. Under the Ability to Pay Principle, allocating the burden of costs according their wealth as indicated by GDP, the US burden will be about 12 times greater than India’s. In practice, any agreement on emissions allocation may require a mixture of principles. Some see the Egalitarian Principle as a long-term goal, with other principles being used as a route map towards egalitarianism.