In order to answer questions about how to distribute the remaining carbon budget and the costs of climate change mitigation and adaptation, we typically need to know who has emitted how much. In this regard, we need a method to attribute greenhouse gas emissions to various actors. The debates on this subject matter centers around mainly two views: production-based emissions accounting (according to which emissions are counted at their geographical source or, alternatively, attributed to the producing actor), and consumption-based emissions accounting (according to which emissions are counted at the point of final consumption). However, the debate over the emissions accounting methods raises several questions: What is the relevance of emissions accountings in the overall framework of climate ethics? What role do they play? Are there alternatives to the abovementioned emissions accounting methods? What are the standards by which we could evaluate and compare emissions accounting methods, and which method should we prefer? What are their practical implications? Which emissions are mine? How should the emissions of a state be divided between its citizens? Should we count emissions over a lifetime or some other discrete unit of time? The present workshop brings together current research on these (and related) issues, with the aim of contributing to the further progress in the research field of emissions accountings within climate ethics.

The workshop takes place on December 6–7, at the Institute for Futures Studies in Stockholm, Sweden, as well as online. If you wish to participate, please contact one of the organizers Olle Torpman () or Göran Duus-Otterström (). 

Program

Tuesday December 6

09:30–09:55 Coffee

09:55–10:00 Welcome

10:00–10:50 Christian Barry & Garrett Cullity: "Which emissions belong to us?" (online)

11:00–11:50 Karim Jebari: "Proactive futility: Why most people don't have a carbon footprint"

12:00–13:30 Lunch

13:30–14:20 Olle Torpman: "Inducement-Based Emissions Accounting"

14:30–15:00 Coffee

15:00–15:50 Göran Duus-Otterström: "Emissions Sufficientarianism"

16:00-16:50: Pierre André: "Who Are the Big Corporate Polluters? Responsibility, Solidarity, and the Need to Go Beyond Emissions Accounting"

Wednesday December 7

10:00–11:45: Säde Hormio: "Individual emissions, equality and the state"

12:00 Lunch

12:30–14:00 (optional lunch seminar with Gustaf and Lea)

14:00–14:50 Simon Caney: "Agency and Responsibility in the Just Transition to a Sustainable World" (online)

14:50–15:20 Coffee

15:20–16:10 Megan Blomfield: "How do emissions count morally?" (online)