Henry Shue, Politics and International Relations, Oxford University

Prof. Henry Shue here talks about need, excess, and justice regarding climate responsibilities.

Interview Questions:

  • 0:10: Can you give us a brief summary of your view on the difference between luxury emissions and subsistence emissions?
  • 1:18: Did you originally conceive of this in terms of what economists sometimes call “elasticity of demand”?
  • 2:06: Have your thoughts been taken up in any way by policy makers?
  • 2:55: You've spent so much of your work focusing on fairness and justice, but in some sense the climate negotiations have unraveled because of just these issues. Does this concern you?
  • 4:34: Can you say a thing or two about the question of excess?
  • 6:29: Can you say a bit about your “Climate Hope” project?
  • 8:32: How would you say that "luck" factors into matters of climate justice?
  • 9:35: But your distinction between subsistence and luxury emissions doesn't depend on luck for its moral force, right?
  • 10:15: How do you think we can improve the climate negotiations?