Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions arise from human economic activities and serve the ultimate purpose of human development. Some emissions are essential for basic needs while others, for extravagant or wasteful purposes, are unnecessary and even in conflict with human development.
Given the linkage of emissions to human development, mitigation options for developing countries will have to look first at their impact on development and then at their effectiveness of emissions reductions. A variety of options (see, e.g. Baumert 2002; Hoehne et al. 2003; Aldy et al. 2003) have been published in literature, targeting either emissions or policies and measures (PAMs). Emissions targets are specified in either absolute (Kyoto-type) carbon emission reduction or in relative (intensity) terms. Various policies and measures are proposed and their impacts on or implications for carbon emissions predicted and analysed.
This article suggests that a focus on emissions targets may simply ignore development goals. But existing development policies and measures do not necessarily imply low emissions paths. For developing countries, are there options that meet human development goals and at the same time aim at emissions reductions? This article suggests an approach that would allow human development goals to be met but with low emissions avoiding the simple emissions limits or reduction targets, reflected in the Kyoto Protocol.
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This article comes from the IDS Bulletin 35.3 (2004) Meeting Human Development Goals with Low Emissions
