| Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, Global Public Policy

How an open climate club can contribute to climate justice

On January 10, Dr. Simone Tagliapietra and Prof. Andreas Goldthau made the case for the German G7 presidency to foster a climate club on the platform “Euractive”, as well as in the newspapers “LeMonde” and “Berliner Zeitung”. In this opinion piece, they argue for an international carbon dividend to support climate action in developing nations.

Climate club on the platform “Euractive”
The luxury hotel Schloss Elmau in Bavaria will host the G7 summit in 2022.

In their piece, Dr. Simone Tagliapietra and Prof. Andreas Goldthau argue that because climate commitments under the Paris Agreement are voluntary, climate laggards need to feel the costs of inaction. Trade, and more precisely an exclusive climate club, is the means to incentivize climate action. Yet, such a club should be open and cooperative so that non-members benefit from international carbon dividends when they foster their efforts. The German G7 presidency, Goldthau and Tagliapietra conclude, should heed the call of climate justice and support poorer nations in their transition to a low carbon future. For a longer version, see their whole take on Bruegel’s blog.