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Countries that have reaped the benefits of high industrialization without regard for
massive GHG emissions and their effects on the environment, bear a larger share in
providing solutions to the problems they have created. This is climate justice.
In order to usher in the much-needed global green industrial revolution, those
in the developed world must recognize their special responsibility to help
everybody else.489 At the same time, “emerging economies, too, must go the extra
mile, as their contribution is essential for the effective reduction of emissions.”490
Hence, to truly affect climate justice, global action must involve the “pooling of
resources and a sharing of skills across the world.”491
In accordance with the obligation of States to respect human rights, the Commission
endorses the call to States to undertake the following:
i. Discourage Dependence on Fossil Fuels
Apart from not promoting fossil fuels, States should also discourage
dependence on them. Steps must be made for the eventual phase-out of all
subsidies for coal-fired power plants, not merely “inefficient” subsidies, as
suggested in the Glasgow Climate Pact. Additionally, more than just phasingdown, efforts must be made for the complete phase-out of coal power.
Previously-granted tax breaks and subsidies in developed countries must
immediately be terminated; for developing countries, concrete plans must
be made for their eventual termination. As a general rule, no future tax
incentives should be granted to carbon-intensive industries or corporations.
States must divest from, refrain from investing in, and deny subsidies or
incentives to fossil fuel-related projects or activities, as well as cease from
issuing new permits therefor.
On the other hand, tax credits and other incentives for investments must
be granted to renewable or clean energy technologies, such as solar, wind,
489
Mr. Boris Johnson, Prime Minister, United Kingdom, Speech at the COP 26.
490
Mr. António Guterres, supra note 482.
491
Mary Robinson Foundation Climate Justice, Principles of Climate Justice (2015), at 6, available at
https://www.mrfcj.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Principles-of-Climate-Justice.pdf.
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