What are the legal and economic issues that arise when trying to enforce a duty of care to future generations? Cameron and Jonathan discuss the legal and economic questions arising from the Private Senators Bill by David Pocock intending to “legislate a positive duty of care, creating a requirement for politicians and policy makers to consider the impact of climate harm on young people and future generations.”
To be super technical about it even children today will not be much harmed by future CO2 emissions. The will mainly be harmed by the CO2 already emitted. Then, too given substitution from other fossil fuel, how much less CO2 will be emitted if Australia does not export these X million MT of coal? What is the marginal harm?
If Australian children want to recuse CO2 by a given amount, they should lobby for a tax on net emissions.
To be super technical about it even children today will not be much harmed by future CO2 emissions. The will mainly be harmed by the CO2 already emitted. Then, too given substitution from other fossil fuel, how much less CO2 will be emitted if Australia does not export these X million MT of coal? What is the marginal harm?
If Australian children want to recuse CO2 by a given amount, they should lobby for a tax on net emissions.