In this article by members of the UCL Energy and Development Group, we explore the justice implications of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

Limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C will bring enormous collective benefits through the avoidance of climate change impacts to which the poorest are often most vulnerable. However, efforts in pursuit of the 1.5°C goal, if not carefully managed, can also lead to injustices. Questions of justice arising from pursuing 1.5°C could relate to the loss of revenue experienced by low-income fossil fuel producing countries; increased extraction of critical resources and biomass in ways that undermine livelihoods and ecosystems; an uneven distribution of the economic costs and benefits of making the transition; and the risk of losing sight of basic but critical human needs, including for nutrition, sanitation and energy services, of people on very low incomes.

We propose that bringing about a just 1.5°C-consistent transition requires acknowledging: the inherently politicised nature of the transitions; the need to integrate multiple perspectives; and the need to challenge existing values and assumptions. We argue that a research agenda alive to these challenges would be interdisciplinary, integrative of diverse actors and perspectives, and able to robustly test and explore radical ideas.

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