Climate change: proposal to make individuals pay for their CO2 emissions

Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, president of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), called for a personal annual CO2 generation limit as a "planetary guardrail" against climate change. According to the former advisor to Angela Merkel and member of the Pontifical Academy of Science, if a person were to exceed the established amount, "they would have to buy it."

According to Schellnhuber, each person should have a limit of three tons of C02 emissions per year, and those who exceed that limit should have to pay. The scientist proposes a model similar to that of the states with carbon emissions into the atmosphere. In other words, those who emit above the limit will have to purchase their emission rights from other individuals who do not pollute. "Each person gets three tons of CO2 a year, but if you need more, just buy it," he said in statements reported by Breitbart.

"Planetary guardrail" against climate change

The scientist explained that his recommendation seeks a balance between the right to spend money on activities that produce high emissions and the right of the rest of the population to "have an environment worth living in."

Schellnhuber's initiative is not the first of its kind. In fact, Alibaba Group Chairman J. Michael Evans indicated at last year's Davos Forum that the Chinese company is currently developing a digital "individual carbon footprint tracker" for individuals to measure their environmental impact.