Shades of equity
for readers who came in late into the climate change debate (and have not been reading their previous issues of Down To Earth carefully enough), here is a recap on the equity principle that developing countries such as India and China have asked for in the climate convention (regular readers can skip the first two paragraphs):
l Every human being has an equal right to the atmosphere. Industrialised countries have used up more than they have the right to, by pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Even today, carbon dioxide emissions from industrialised countries are very high. The lifestyle of one American, for example, results in as much carbon dioxide emission as the combined lifestyle of 25 Indians.
l As carbon dioxide emissions are directly proportional to development, developing countries should have the