Allocating the Remaining Global Carbon Budget: A Human Rights-Based Approach on the basis of the Right to Sustainable Development.

Although the adoption of the Paris Agreement has promoted worldwide climate action, much more is needed. Equity plays a pivotal role not only to increase climate action worldwide, by convincing others to contribute with their fair share, but also it assesses the needs and rights of people worldwide from a moral and justice standpoint. The concept of equity appears in official and agreed documents of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Paris Agreement, however it lacks a standardized framework and methodology. The present study aims to promote a human rights based approach to climate change by operationalizing the equity concept, focusing on the right to sustainable development. The operationalization of this is obtained through the application of the Right to Sustainable Development Model (RSDM), comprising past countries' GHG emissions, present economic status, sustainability level and future climate vulnerabilities. The dimensions of the RSDM allows to calculate emissions allocations of the remaining global carbon budget for 1.5°C and 2°C temperature goals for 185 countries, addressing both emissions reduction and the developmental needs of certain nations while fostering sustainable development. The results obtained allow for a better understanding of the past, present and future inequalities that countries have faced, are facing and will face, clearly delineating the division between developed and developing countries. Furthermore, the outcome of the model highlights that under a climate regime that prioritizes the right to sustainable development, developed countries' current emissions would exceed the levels consistent with their assigned quotas, thereby occupying an atmospheric space that rightfully belongs to other countries and further exacerbating global climate change, which, in turn, will disproportionately affect countries around the world. Prioritizing equity in global climate negotiations and decisions is crucial. Actionable frameworks are needed to ensure countries fulfillment of their right to sustainable development. This study presents a comprehensive model for assessing this dimension, emphasizing the imperative of centering climate action on the principles of equity and a human rights based approach.