on September 9, 2022 at 5:05 p.m.
September 9, 2022 at 5:04 PMAymeric BRANCHES
Christian de Perthuis, climate economist, answered questions from Gentside. According to him, for the Paris agreements to be respected, “environmental pricing” might be considered.
“Limiting global warming to well below 2, preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels” is the goal of the paris agreement. Adopted in 2015, on the occasion of COP21, this agreement already seems far away, even unattainable. But for Christian de Perthuis, several solutions are possible, and might even have unsuspected benefits.
“Multiply by three the rate of reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions”
Achieving climate neutrality will not be easy. 7 years following the Paris agreements, the geopolitical situation has changed a lot, and a certain IPCC report, rather alarming, has come to light. How, then, can we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and meet our commitments?
According to Christian de Perthuis, this might involve, among other things, the establishment of a polluter-pays system. Interviewed by us, the economist indeed declared:
“I am in favor of using environmental pricing and the polluter-pays principle… He has to pay enough for it to become profitable to clean up. But for the citizens, for it to be socially acceptable, there has to be redistribution.”
In other words, Christian de Perthuis suggests taxing the biggest polluters, and transferring the amount collected to the poorest households. Thus, the largest CO2 emitters will still (technically) be able to carry out their activities, but will have a reason to turn to less polluting solutions.
A society in which we discover other benefits
Less austere and more digestible than a simple sudden cessation of polluting activities, this solution would also have other positive sides. Romain de Perthuis explains:
“A low-carbon society is not a society in which we make desperate efforts by gritting our teeth. It is also a society in which we discover other ecological, social and human benefits..”
Some examples given by the economist? Opting for a diet less loaded with sugars and animal fats might prove to be healthier, even more “fun”. Similarly, promoting carpooling or community housing projects can help create links, etc.
Find our full interview at the top of the article.
