SAR: Economic and Social Dimensions of Climate Change

Chapter 1: Introduction: Scope of the Assessment

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1.4 Equity

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1.4.2 Intergenerational equity

Efforts to control greenhouse emissions will provide benefits primarily for our grandchildren and their descendants. We face a difficult task in estimating and judging what aspects of climate and environment they will value and how best to preserve those aspects for them. If we take aggressive action to limit climate change, they may regret that we did not use the funds instead to push ahead development in Africa, to better protect the species against the next retrovirus, or to dispose of nuclear materials safely. Chapter 4 addresses directly the most important issue in intergenerational equity: choice of an appropriate discount rate.

A similar argument applies to actions with differential impacts on different regions. If greenhouse warming turns out to be a major threat to developing countries and if the developed countries fail to reduce emissions aggressively now, the developing countries may suffer additional damage later. Alternatively, if the developed countries choose to embark on an aggressive control regime now, and if this cuts into their growth rates, the result will shrink export markets for developing countries and thus reduce growth there. In addition, if developed countries view their greenhouse efforts as in effect, aid to developing economies, they may cut back on other programmes (sanitation, water, education for women, etc.) that have a more immediate impact on life expectancy, health, and well-being.