One of the salient problems of climate change agreements are cheaters. Here’s Nobel Winner Professor William Nordhaus, from a report in WaPo:
Nordhaus has blamed the lack of climate policy progress on the strong incentive for what economists call “free-riding.”
“People free-ride when they jump the turnstile on the subway,” he said. “Nations free-ride in military treaties such as NATO when they enjoy the benefits of the strong U.S. military to protect them while doing little to pay for the common defense.”
And when it comes to climate change, he said, free-riding is “particularly pernicious.”
Unfortunately, no solutions to this particular problem are presented in the article. Obviously, it’ll end up being a matter for international law, which may mean it’ll require attention from the sometimes impotent United Nations.
If the United States wasn’t substantially in a position of denial when it comes to this problem, I’d say that it might be a good idea for Congress to pass legislation that would target cheaters in the future. I would suggest that perhaps tariffs would be automatically applied for those nations found to be in violation of their international obligations, except that there’d be a certain dark irony to such a proposal, given the United States’ decision to pull out of just such agreements.
Corporate entities could also face reprisals, including those of an existential nature, for endangering the future of the human species.
I wonder what the climate change community has come up with in this area.
