Climate justice,
a necessity
The Dutch Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV) states that global climate justice is a necessary condition for a successful climate transition (1). According to the council the Netherlands should expedite its emissions reduction efforts to achieve the goal of net zero before 2050. This would leave leave a larger share of the remaining carbon budget available for developing countries, a crucial requirement for a just transition. To accomplish this acceleration, the Netherlands must achieve a 90 percent reduction in emissions by 2040. These recommendations align with those in a recent advice (2) from the European Scientific Advisory Council on Climate Change, which also emphasizes that we can only achieve these tightened targets if we contribute directly to emission reductions outside the EU.
The AIV encourages companies to take responsibility and recommends the use of international carbon markets fort his purpose. According to the council, these markets can bring, under the right conditions, more sustainable investments to developing countries. The council also recommends that the Netherlands actively engage in international efforts to strengthen the regulation of these markets to prevent greenwashing.
The advisory council fails to mention that the Dutch government itself can also contribute to climate justice through the carbon market. Under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the Netherlands could purchase carbon credits (ITMOs) from developing countries. This approach represents a significant financial contribution to the climate ambitions of developing countries and helps achieve stricter climate goals at home. Switzerland is one of the countries already implementing this approach. In particular, the purchase of forest credits from countries with an active REDD+ policy makes an important contribution to climate justice, as the companies in the RBI network have shown.
a necessity
