3 ms·

Guilt would seem to depend on per capita emissions, not total emissions. I don't see why the size of the nation would permit its citizens to pollute more per ca

by spodek 7y ago

Guilt would seem to depend on per capita emissions, not total emissions. I don't see why the size of the nation would permit its citizens to pollute more per capita. If so, many vulnerable nations would probably be guilty, which is probably how the law should work, but might not be how they expect. Many small, vulnerable nations emit more per capita than IPCC recommendations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_greenhouse_gas_emissions_per_capita https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_greenhous.... Eventually, nations will probably make laws against people polluting like they have now against littering. One of the purposes of laws is to regulate behavior that affects others.

disordinary 7y ago
A lot of it is out of their control as well as there being a scale issue - for instance if you're a country like Niue which has a population of 1,000 and a total GDP of $10 million and you're thousands of kilometres from the nearest country that gives aid rather than relies on it, then you have limited options with what you can do. Getting goods to the country means it has to come from NZ which is almost 3,000 killometres away, that's a lot of oil for the ships. There's limited ability to use green power as it has a high up front cost and isn't going to be able to provide consistent enough power (relying on wind, or tides, or daylight). It's not economic to ship trash off shore to recycle so it's burnt. Things will change as the west advances, for instance a single wind turbine and batteries could power a country like Niue completely renewably, couple that with solar powered shipping and you start to see a change. But, these countries have very limited natural resources, technical expertise, and are constantly at the mercy of the elements. Any change to make them greener will have to be paid for and be driven from wealthier countries and it makes more sense, environmentally, to spend that money on those wealthier countries where it can go further to reduce more emissions.
kortilla 7y ago
Guilt should be based on total emissions if the entire country is being considered because that’s what matters to the planet.
- spodek 7y ago
  Kuwait leads the world in per capita emissions but has a population of 4.5 million. No problem? So someone who pollutes a lot can change nationality and pollute more?

by spodek 7y ago

disordinary 7y ago

A lot of it is out of their control as well as there being a scale issue - for instance if you're a country like Niue which has a population of 1,000 and a total GDP of $10 million and you're thousands of kilometres from the nearest country that gives aid rather than relies on it, then you have limited options with what you can do. Getting goods to the country means it has to come from NZ which is almost 3,000 killometres away, that's a lot of oil for the ships. There's limited ability to use green power as it has a high up front cost and isn't going to be able to provide consistent enough power (relying on wind, or tides, or daylight). It's not economic to ship trash off shore to recycle so it's burnt. Things will change as the west advances, for instance a single wind turbine and batteries could power a country like Niue completely renewably, couple that with solar powered shipping and you start to see a change. But, these countries have very limited natural resources, technical expertise, and are constantly at the mercy of the elements. Any change to make them greener will have to be paid for and be driven from wealthier countries and it makes more sense, environmentally, to spend that money on those wealthier countries where it can go further to reduce more emissions.

kortilla 7y ago

Guilt should be based on total emissions if the entire country is being considered because that’s what matters to the planet.

spodek 7y ago
Kuwait leads the world in per capita emissions but has a population of 4.5 million. No problem? So someone who pollutes a lot can change nationality and pollute more?