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Attributing blame?—climate accountability and the uneven landscape of impacts, emissions, and finances

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  • Emily Williams

    (University of California Santa Barbara)

Abstract

Communities around the world are already enduring both direct and indirect impacts of anthropogenic climate change, leading to questions about accountability. Over the past decade, the scientific, legal, and policy communities have grown increasingly concerned with the question of accountability for the social losses and damages (L&D) stemming from climate change, evidenced by the development of the scientific attribution research field, legal cases against fossil fuel companies, and negotiations for L&D continuing at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. As these sectors converge, however, there are some serious conceptual, and related ethical, issues regarding accountability and attribution including which communities are included in attribution studies and lawsuits, which emitters are considered in policy and law, and whether and how finance transfer is included. This article reviews the dominant spheres of L&D studies and mechanisms and explore what an “accountability-based approach” rooted in theories of climate justice has to bear on the broader conversation. Here, some of the challenges are explored in determining accountability and finance transfer, including potential pitfalls which may inadvertently lead to injustices in such an approach. Finally, a process for operationalizing the accountability-based approach is presented, which may help circumvent some of the challenges.

Suggested Citation

  • Emily Williams, 2020. "Attributing blame?—climate accountability and the uneven landscape of impacts, emissions, and finances," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 273-290, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:161:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s10584-019-02620-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-019-02620-5
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