Evaluating equity in European climate change mitigation pathways for the EU Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change

S Pelz, J Rogelj, K Riahi · IIASA (report) · 2023

We operationalise international-law fairness principles to evaluate equity in EU mitigation pathways

Read the published paper ↗pure.iiasa.ac.at/18830

Evaluating equity in European climate change mitigation pathways for the EU Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change — key figure — Our approach to operationalising equity in evaluating European mitigation pathways (Pelz, Rogelj, Riahi, IIASA report 2023, Fig. 2)

We present a systematic consideration of equity in emissions pathways at the level of the European Union. The analysis supported the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change as it prepared its advice on the EU 2030–2050 greenhouse gas budget and 2040 targets. It starts from a framework of international environmental law principles that inform national 'fair shares', combined with principles highlighted in the European Climate Law.

Building from this normative position, we describe allocation approaches that can be considered 'fair' and identify the indicators that operationalise them. We then quantify the 'fair' remaining carbon budgets for the EU under the principles of Equality, Polluter Pays and Ability to Pay, from 1990 and from 2015. We compare these against stylised European mitigation pathways reaching net zero in 2040 or 2050.

The report provides independent analysis, not advice to the EU. We make our value judgements explicit, show allocations across all regions, and offer quantification to support political debate.

paper

Cite

@techreport{pelz_evaluating_2023,
	address = {Laxenburg, Austria},
	type = {{IIASA} {Report}},
	title = {Evaluating equity in {European} climate change mitigation pathways},
	url = {https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/18830},
	institution = {IIASA},
	author = {Pelz, Setu and Rogelj, Joeri and Riahi, Keywan},
	month = jun,
	year = {2023},
}