Consumption-Based Emissions Accounting and Historical Emissions

Abstract

This paper argues that, unlike the production-based emissions accounting (on which emissions are attributed to producers of goods and services), the consumption-based emissions accounting (on which emissions are attributed to consumers of these goods and services) can solve the problem of historical emissions. This problem concerns the question of how to assign remedial responsibility for emissions that were made by people who are now dead. Since historical emissions are embedded in the goods consumed by present consumers, and since present consumers can (unlike past producers) do something about their emissions, a consumption-based accounting can contribute to solving the climate crisis.

Keywords

Historical emissions; consumption-based accounting; climate ethics; remedial responsibility

Published in

Ethics, Policy and Environment
2022, volume: 25, number: 3, pages: 354-366
Publisher: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR AND FRANCIS LTD

SLU Authors

• Torpman, Olle

  • Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Stockholm University

UKÄ Subject classification

Ethics

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21550085.2022.2058296

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/123353