frequently asked questions

top twelve frequently asked questions about tackling climate change through a fair shares system

1. Where does the Fair Shares idea come from?
2. What is a ‘carbon budget’ and how are ‘safe levels’ and ‘fair shares’ calculated?
3. What’s included in my Fair Shares, Fair Choice carbon budget?
4. What about America and developing countries like China and India – what’s the point if they’re not involved?
5. Isn’t it already too late to stop dangerous climate change?
6. This is about carbon but what about other greenhouse gases?
7. Shouldn’t those in rural areas get an allowance for needing to travel further to access goods and services?
8. What if my carbon use changes from year to year?
9. Low carbon options are great but can I afford them?
10. Are you asking me to swap my car for a horse and cart, and live in a mud hut?!
11. Isn’t the government doing something about it?
12. Aren’t our CO2 emissions already going down though?

1. Where does the Fair Shares idea come from?

The idea known as ‘Contraction and Convergence’ (C&C) is a clever plan for reducing the world’s CO2 emissions to safe levels in a fair way (introduced by The Global Commons Institute in 1990).

The idea is that developed countries like the UK and USA who have already produced dangerously high levels of CO2, agree to shrink their emissions to within a global ‘fair share’ (contraction). Developing nations (whose CO2 emissions may need to increase until they’ve achieved similar quality of life standards to developed countries) agree to ‘cap’ their CO2 output at a certain level and then to reduce emissions to the global fair share. The date when all countries share the same global share of CO2 is the point of convergence. The global share will need to continue to be adjusted to ensure safe levels are maintained.

2. What is a ‘carbon budget’ and how are ‘safe levels’ and ‘fair shares’ calculated?

Our atmosphere can only contain a certain level of CO2/greenhouse gases before climate systems are disturbed. To avoid too much disturbance, and the risk of ‘dangerous’ levels of climate change we should not exceed particular concentrations of these gases. Until recently, many scientists thought that 450-550 ‘parts per million’ of CO2 in the atmosphere might be an upper limit of what is safe, although even this would result in temperature increases of several degrees. More recently, the case is being made that actually a lower limit of 350ppm is the most we should allow – a level we are already reaching! Taking these figures, scientists can determine the total amount of CO2 we can safely emit. By dividing this global total up on the basis that every person in the world should have an equal share of CO2, means that each country’s annual allowance is then based on the size of its population. This provides a ‘carbon budget’ for each country, and for each person in that country. Whilst nations are ‘converging’ these budgets will be different from one country to the next, but eventually we will all have the same budget.

3. What’s included in my Fair Shares, Fair Choice carbon budget?

Your personal carbon budget covers your home energy use, personal travel (including commuting) and the products and services you consume. So emissions from what you buy (local or ‘air-freighted’ food for example), where you take your holidays and how you get there, and the energy efficiency of your home will all count towards this budget. There are some things you do which are outside of your budget though. For example carbon generated by public services which you have no direct control over, or from business travel, as your employer will be addressing this though their own carbon reduction strategy, promoting low carbon options such as video conferencing for meetings etc. In fact, many businesses are now responding to climate change concerns and labelling the ‘carbon impact’ of their products, and with suppliers also providing low carbon products you can make your budget go further!

4. What about America and developing countries like China and India – what’s the point if they’re not involved?

When it comes to changing habits for the common good, many of us understandably think, ‘I will if they will.’ But of course someone’s got to lead the way. In the case of developing countries it’s worth remembering that they don’t have 200 years of carbon debt to make up for, so we can’t blame them for wanting to catch up. Developed countries should be setting an example of how a low carbon economy can work, and short-cutting the process for the developing nations.  Many of these developing countries are also doing more than many people realise to respond to climate change – after all, many of the poorest countries will be hardest hit by climate change impacts. Remember also, that significant emissions in countries like China are the result of manufacturing things for consumers in the UK and USA!

Whilst the USA may not have adopted the Kyoto Protocol (the UN sponsored global treaty on greenhouse gases), many US states and cities are pressing ahead with their own climate change programs and policies. In California (itself one of the world’s largest economies), the Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has proposed that emissions be cut by 25% over the next couple of decades, and instigated a huge solar-energy program to reduce fossil-fuel use. The new president has also set out an overall ambition to reduce US emissions by 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Meanwhile, many US businesses are already exploiting the new low-carbon market.

5. Isn’t it already too late to stop dangerous climate change?

A ‘doom and gloom’ attitude will get us nowhere. Research does show that some global warming is inevitable, perhaps by 2-3 degrees over the century, even if we take action immediately. The impacts of this rise would be significant but we should be able to adapt to them. However, doing nothing could risk much higher temperature increases, which would almost certainly have severe and catastrophic worldwide effects.  We cannot wait to take action either. It’s a bit like a bath filling up with water – when it starts to get to full you turn off the tap, but even while you’re turning the tap off the bath is still filling up – immediate action is needed if want to prevent the bath spilling over. Experts advise us that urgent action in the next ten years is crucial if we are to avert runaway climate change.

6.  This is about carbon but what about other greenhouse gases?

There are 5 other main greenhouse gases in addition to carbon dioxide – methane, nitrous oxide, CFCs, tetrafluoromethane and sulphur hexafluoride. Measures to maintain safe levels of these gases are of course important, and are being taken. However CO2 is the one which causes the greatest problems at present and also the one over which we have the most personal control and so it is the focus right now in terms of reductions.

7. Shouldn’t those in rural areas get an allowance for needing to travel further to access goods and services?

We will all need to look again at the way we live as we move towards low carbon living.  Low carbon living in rural areas could be achieved by measures including increasing support for home working and video conferencing for meetings, provision of more locally produced goods and local based services and improved ‘public transport’. There is also the possibility that people in rural areas may actually have greater access to low-carbon energy for transport – from wind, solar, biofuel, and biogas – as a result of their location. To begin with though, people in rural areas who may rely on their cars more than city dwellers may need to make carbon savings elsewhere to balance their carbon budget.

8. What if my carbon use changes from year to year?

Using carbon efficiently could, when exchange systems become available, result in ‘carbon credits,’ which could be offset against additional carbon use in future years.  For example, if you visit relatives on the other side of the globe every 3 years then living ‘carbon light’ during the other two years would mean that your overall emissions would still be kept within an overall fair share budget.

9.  Low carbon options are great but can I afford them?

Everyone, no matter who they are, financially rich or poor, should be entitled to the same carbon budget. Staying within your budget may leave you with tradeable carbon credits while going over your budget may mean, in a voluntary or statutory system, penalties of some kind or having to buy additional highly-priced carbon credits (if available) from others.  There will always be those who can afford this more than others – but at least with carbon shares everyone is allocated the same amount regardless of their income. For the vast majority of people it will mean living a low carbon life, just like everyone else, whilst high carbon activity becomes increasingly socially unacceptable. Turn the argument around and ask why, currently, wealthy people are able to indulge in high carbon activity without paying the full social, environmental and increasingly economic costs?

10. Are you asking me to swap my car for a horse and cart, and live in a mud hut?!

No one has to throw out 20th Century technology tomorrow, but if we want a safe, fair and prosperous 21st Century for all everyone needs to take small steps each year on the journey towards a low carbon future. We cannot wait until 2050 to make a change. We must support our leaders to take a stronger lead and they must better support us. The Fair Shares, Fair Choice annual budgets actually propose something in the order of a 2-3% emissions reduction each year.

11. Isn’t the government doing something about it?

All political parties in the UK accept that something needs to be done, and urgently. That is why there was common support for the Climate Change Bill which was passed into law by parliament in November 2008. Starting in April 2009, the government is setting ‘budgets’ for carbon emissions that we as a country will need to adhere to. The goal is an 80% reduction in emissions over 1990 levels by 2050. As Fair Shares, Fair Choice illustrates, this level of change is achievable, by making small steps each year – but we must start making those changes now.

12. Aren’t our CO2 emissions already going down though?

Whilst good progress has been made in reducing the emissions of a number of greenhouse gases, and the UK looked as though it would meet its initial targets under the Kyoto agreement for reductions it is worth considering several points. Firstly, it is accepted that much of the UK’s progress has come from switching from energy produced from oil and coal to that produced from gas (which produces less CO2). We now of course have to import a growing share of our gas supplies, and issues such as energy security are leading to pressure to reintroduce coal-fired power stations. Secondly, many of the goods that we buy are made abroad and the CO2 emissions from producing them will have been generated overseas. This is not included in UK emissions figures, although carbon from the making of products in the UK for export is included. As we now manufacture fewer things here so we are exporting much of the CO2 from our consumption to countries like China and India, adding substantially to their emissions. Although we may gain lower prices, many developing countries currently have less energy efficient industry so the result will be an increase in global emissions, exacerbated by transporting goods halfway around the world. Finally, emissions statistics do not currently include international aviation and shipping on the basis that these are offshore (or ‘offground’) activities. Although this represents a relatively small part of overall emissions today, it is growing rapidly, and will become increasingly important.

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