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Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal Human rights, climate change, and discounting

Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal

Caney S
2008
Environmental Politics. 17 (4): 536-555

It is widely recognised that climate change is having malign effects on human life. How though should we evaluate these changes? The dominant approach employs cost-benefit analysis. In this essay I defend an alternative. I argue that we should see climate change as a threat to human rights. The inter-temporal character of climate change poses a second question, namely should we subject these rights to a positive discount rate. I examine five arguments which purport to show that the human rights jeopardised by dangerous climate change should be subject to a positive discount rate and conclude that none of these succeed. I argue that the rights jeopardised by dangerous climate change do not diminish in importance throughout time.

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    General Geographic Feature
    Global or Unspecified Location
    General Health Impact
    Research Article
    Climate Justice/Climate Equity
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