Thirteenth International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

Climate change adaptation and mitigation policies are adopted to take actions against severe impacts of climate change at national and international policy levels. The United Nations advised developing countries to include the National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA) at national policy level to address immediate adaptation needs. On the other hand, developed countries are advised to adopt mitigation policies by limiting their excessive carbon emission, practicing emission trading and imposing carbon tax if they surpass their allotted carbon emission quota. The optimists of the adaptation and mitigation policies argue that these policies will transform today’s carbon-based economy into a decarbonized economy. However, the critics argue that adaptation, carbon taxes and emission trading are a neoliberal response to climate change, based on the concept of climate capitalism, which will increase the wealth of developed countries. In addition, as the critics argue, the concept of emission trading is a problematic one because it permits carbon colonialism whereby developed countries do not reduce their carbon emission but buy carbon offsets from developing countries. This paper critically evaluates climate change adaptation and mitigation policies through the lens of climate capitalism and carbon colonialism.