227. SJI Seminars Ep.63: Jeremy Moss on Benefit-Sharing in the Just Climate Transition

Jeremy Moss is Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of New South Wales. He is the recipient of the Eureka Prize for Ethics and the Australasia Association of Philosophy Media Prize. He is the author or several books on climate change including: Carbon Justice: the Scandal of Australia’s Biggest Contribution to Climate Change; Climate Justice Beyond the State (with Lachlan Umbers), Climate Change and Justice (Cambridge University Press). His current projects include: ‘A Just Climate Transition’ (ARC Linkage grant) and ‘Dealing with Climate Disasters’ (ARC Discovery Project).

A Just Climate Transition has the potential to provide significant non-climate related benefits in the form of clean energy, green jobs, better transport, improved health and urban environments or even making society a more equal or democratic place. The creation of so many potential benefits should command just as much attention as avoiding the harms associated with climate change. But the pursuit of such benefits raises two interesting questions. The first is to what degree should transition policies - as a matter of justice - aim at creating non-climate benefits, especially where there are extra costs involved? The second important question is how do we distribute whatever benefits are created? In some cases, there is nothing wrong with letting the benefits fall ‘where they may’ as it were, as is the case with the elimination of air pollution from fossil fuels. But in other instances benefits will be created but how they are distributed will vary greatly, with the potential for unfair distribution.

Social Justice Ireland held a webinar for policy makes and in his talk, Jeremy considers the arguments for the role and scope of non-climate benefits, their justification and put forward a framework that might guide their distribution.