ABC Religion & Ethics
Janna Thompson
Updated
Tue 9 Feb 2021, 5:51pm
There are undoubtedly limits to intergenerational responsibility, and cases where doubts arise about its existence; but these doubts are not likely to undermine demands for reparation for historical emissions from wealthy states. (Lukas Schulze / Getty Images)
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One of the sticking points in negotiations between developed and developing countries about the contributions they should make to alleviate the effects of climate change is whether developed countries should bear the greater share of the burden because of their historical responsibility for causing the problem.
Since the Industrial Revolution the activities of people in these countries have been contributing to the build up of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. It is this historical accumulation of harmful emissions that has brought the world to the crisis that it is now facing.