REDUCING CONFLICT IN GLOBAL WARMING POLICY - THE POTENTIAL OF EQUITY AS A UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

International agreement on global warming mitigation is likely to prove difficult. Efficiency-based policies will result in disparate costs and benefits among nations and thus hinder cooperation. This paper suggests that consideration be given to an equitable sharing of the economic impacts of global warming policy. Acknowledging that there is no universally-held concept of equity, the policy implications of several alternatives are explored. Because there is considerable variation in these implications, it will be important for decision-makers to clarify their preferred concepts of equity during the course of their negotiations on policies to address global warming.