Carte carbone : nouvel horizon de la politique environnementale

The carbon card, a new perspective for environmental policy

Droit de l’environnement, Université Panthéon-Assas, UMR CERSA, Paris, France

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Résumé

Le colloque intitulé « Les quotas carbone individuels, un instrument pour la politique climatique ? Regards interdisciplinaires » a réuni diverses disciplines pour explorer l’opportunité, l’efficacité et la faisabilité d’un dispositif encore inédit : la carte carbone. Ce mécanisme vise à réguler les émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) des particuliers par le biais de quotas individuels. Inspirée du système d’échange de quotas d’émission de l’Union européenne (SEQE-UE), la carte carbone attribuerait à chaque citoyen une quantité fixe de quotas, à utiliser pour compenser l’empreinte carbone des biens et services consommés. Le colloque a abordé plusieurs questions cruciales : le rôle de l’État dans la fixation du prix ou la régulation du marché, les parallèles historiques avec d’autres systèmes de rationnement, l’efficacité du dispositif en termes de justice sociale, ainsi que ses implications sur les libertés fondamentales et les droits individuels.

Abstract

The symposium, titled ‘Individual carbon quotas: a tool for climate policy? Interdisciplinary perspectives’ brought together experts from various disciplines to examine the opportunity, effectiveness, and feasibility of a novel policy proposal: the carbon card. This mechanism seeks to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from individuals through a system of individual carbon quotas. Drawing inspiration from the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), the carbon card would allocate a fixed amount of quotas to each individual, which could then be used to offset the carbon footprint of the goods and services they consume. The discussions during the symposium covered a wide range of topics, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the issue at hand. A central focus was the role of the State in setting the price of carbon and determining whether the market should have a role in this process. The participants explored historical parallels with rationing systems, drawing attention to the ways in which these systems have been implemented and their potential lessons for the carbon card. A significant part of the debate also centered on the social justice implications of such a policy. Speakers considered how a carbon card could impact different social groups, particularly the most vulnerable, and whether it would lead to a fair distribution of emission reductions. Moreover, questions were raised about the potential infringement of fundamental freedoms and individual rights, as the carbon card could be seen as a form of surveillance or control over personal consumption choices. Overall, the symposium highlighted the complexity of introducing a carbon card system, drawing attention to both the potential benefits, such as reducing individual emissions and promoting awareness of personal environmental impact, and the challenges, including the need for political, economic, and social considerations to be addressed in order to make the policy effective and equitable.