Historic emitters must bear climate burdens regardless of current emissions

Evidence

What makes the global climate change issue even more problematic for lawmakers, however, is that neither the costs nor the benefits of curtailing economic activity that contributes to climate change are evenly distributed around the globe. Some nations, such as the United States, have already benefited greatly from industrialization that has helped to load the atmosphere with carbon dioxide emissions and promoted the destruction of “carbon sinks” (such as rainforests) that otherwise would have naturally reduced atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. For that reason, less-developed nations can forcefully argue that the more industrialized nations should take on the brunt of necessary reductions, which should also not preclude less-developed nations from becoming more industrialized. — Richard J. Lazarus, The Making of Environmental Law, 974

Categorization

• XREF: Links to environmental-justice demands (ch20) and the sovereignty-resistance pattern of ch21. — connects to: Environmental policymaking systematically discounts distant-future and foreign benefits against present domestic costs — Richard J. Lazarus, The Making of Environmental Law, 562; Developing countries use historical causation to justify their emissions — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2661; Developing nations justify rising emissions by invoking developed countries’ historic responsibility. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2935 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• India justifies heavy future emissions by the West’s historic pollution #exemplifies (0.90)
• Developing countries use historical causation to justify their emissions #expands (0.85) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2661
• Developing nations justify rising emissions by invoking developed countries’ historic responsibility. #exemplifies (0.80) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2935
• Historical inevitability claims overreach; the past never dictates the future #contradicts (0.80)