AGS Wine and Cheese Evening on the Political Implications of the Global Carbon Supply Chain

Dr. Kathryn Harrison, Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia, will be animating AGS's next Wine and Cheese evening on Wednesday May 6th, with a discussion of "International Carbon Trade and Domestic Climate Politics."

The presentation will begin with a puzzle: how have jurisdictions such as Norway, whose economies rely on fossil fuel production, emerged as climate leaders? The answer lies in the fact that international responsibility is assigned exclusively to territorial emissions, thus allowing countries that export most of the fossil fuels they produce to evade responsibility for the much greater emissions that inevitably will occur at the point of combustion. The case of fossil fuel exporters prompts a broader examination of the implications for domestic politics of three distinct roles countries play in the global carbon supply chain - fossil fuel producer, manufacturer of carbon-intensive goods, and final consumer. By offloading environmental responsibility to trading partners, however unintentionally, those that export fossil fuels or import carbon-intensive goods lessen the political challenges of reducing domestic emissions. The conclusion speculates that shifting responsibility for carbon emissions to either the point of final consumption or fossil fuel extraction could facilitate international agreement.

Bringing students, staff, professors, and guests together around a buffet of French wine and cheeses in an informal atmosphere, AGS Wine and Cheese evenings have become a tradition of the school and the opportunity to host interesting talks and debates on various aspects of international affairs.

Dr. Kathryn Harrison is a Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. She is also a chemical engineer, and started her career working in the Canadian oil sands. She is the author of the book Passing the Buck: Federalism and Canadian Environmental Policy, co-author of Risk, Science, and Politics, and editor of three volumes, the most recent of which is Global Commons, Domestic Decisions: The Comparative Politics of Climate Change. Her current project is a study of the comparative politics of carbon taxes in five countries, one of which is France. See full profile.

This talk and discussion will take place on Wednesday, May 6th at 6:00 pm. A few seats are open on RSVP: please contact info@ags.edu for confirmation and directions.