Principles of Justice for a Sustainable Economy

Abstract

Empirical evidence suggests that decoupling economic growth from greenhouse gases is impossible, thus requiring zero growth. What principles of distributive justice does a zero-growth economy call for? This article focuses on two distribuenda in a zero-growth economy. We argue that firm limits both on income inequalities and on individual emissions are required by justice. Concerning income, we argue that its distribution in a zero-growth economy should respect a suitably reinterpreted version of John Rawls’s difference principle. As to emission rights, contrary to the conventional wisdom that is insensitive to who reduces their emissions, we call for individual emission caps.