Carbon leakage and the argument from no difference

Critics of carbon mitigation often appeal to what Jonathan Glover has called ‘the argument from no difference’: that is, ‘if I don’t do it, someone else will’. Yet even if this justifies continued high emissions by the industrialised countries, it cannot excuse business as usual. The North’s emissio...

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Main Author: Rendall, Matthew
Format: Article
Published: White Horse Press 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/35054/
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author Rendall, Matthew
author_facet Rendall, Matthew
author_sort Rendall, Matthew
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
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description Critics of carbon mitigation often appeal to what Jonathan Glover has called ‘the argument from no difference’: that is, ‘if I don’t do it, someone else will’. Yet even if this justifies continued high emissions by the industrialised countries, it cannot excuse business as usual. The North’s emissions might not harm the victims of climate change in the sense of making them worse off than they would otherwise be. Nevertheless, it receives benefits produced at the latter’s expense. This enrichment is unjust; unjustly-enriched agents ought to make compensation. The best form of compensation is vigorous action against climate change.
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spelling nottingham-350542020-05-04T17:11:57Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/35054/ Carbon leakage and the argument from no difference Rendall, Matthew Critics of carbon mitigation often appeal to what Jonathan Glover has called ‘the argument from no difference’: that is, ‘if I don’t do it, someone else will’. Yet even if this justifies continued high emissions by the industrialised countries, it cannot excuse business as usual. The North’s emissions might not harm the victims of climate change in the sense of making them worse off than they would otherwise be. Nevertheless, it receives benefits produced at the latter’s expense. This enrichment is unjust; unjustly-enriched agents ought to make compensation. The best form of compensation is vigorous action against climate change. White Horse Press 2015-08-01 Article PeerReviewed Rendall, Matthew (2015) Carbon leakage and the argument from no difference. Environmental Values, 24 (4). pp. 535-552. ISSN 1752-7015 Climate change; carbon leakage; consequentialism; over-determination http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/whp/ev/2015/00000024/00000004/art00007 doi:10.3197/096327115X14345368710022 doi:10.3197/096327115X14345368710022
spellingShingle Climate change; carbon leakage; consequentialism; over-determination
Rendall, Matthew
Carbon leakage and the argument from no difference
title Carbon leakage and the argument from no difference
title_full Carbon leakage and the argument from no difference
title_fullStr Carbon leakage and the argument from no difference
title_full_unstemmed Carbon leakage and the argument from no difference
title_short Carbon leakage and the argument from no difference
title_sort carbon leakage and the argument from no difference
topic Climate change; carbon leakage; consequentialism; over-determination
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/35054/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/35054/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/35054/