Panel presentations and discussion of two, possibly complementary, roles for UBI in averting climate change catastrophe: 1. Carbon dividends--one form of universal income--, rectifying the regressivity of carbon pricing that is necessary for eliminating carbon emissions, and  2. UBI as a cornerstone of radical social reconstruction, including degrowth.

Panelists made short presentations, responded to moderator’s questions, and then took questions from the audience.

Beyond Just Transition and Net-zero Emissions – Radical Social Reconstruction with Universal Basic Income as a Cornerstone  by James Mulvale

‘If we are to head off climate catastrophe….we must aim for nothing less than social-economic transformation. This transformation would include radical redistribution of wealth and resources within and among countries; achievement of an overall steady state economy and degrowth in ecologically harmful sectors of the economy; curbing overconsumption in wealthy countries and classes; guaranteeing a set of  comprehensive, readily accessible, and high quality public goods; and redefining “work” in a way that goes beyond waged and salaried jobs in the labour market. This transformation would also depend upon universal basic income as a necessary – but not sufficient – component.

Universal income from environmental protection by James K. Boyce

‘One way to fund universal income is to charge fees for the use of assets that are owned in common by all. These assets – which can be called “universal property” or “common wealth” – include the limited capacity of the environment to safely absorb wastes, such as carbon dioxide…. If we limit use by charging fees for the permitted emissions, and recycle the money as equal payments to all, we can simultaneously safeguard the environment and create an environmentally-friendly source of universal income.’

James K. Boyce is an economist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the author of The Case for Carbon Dividends (Polity, 2019) and Economics for People and the Planet: Inequality in the Era of Climate Change (Anthem, 2019).

Jim Mulvale is a faculty member in Social Work at the University of Manitoba.  He teaches courses on social welfare policy and has published on universal basic income and on social work theory and education as they relate to social justice and ecological sustainability.  He is currently on the steering group for a project on “Livelihoods, Incomes, and Community Resilience for a Net-Zero Canada” funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Michael Howard is a professor of philosophy at the University of Maine, and has been interested in basic income for over two decades. He is the coordinator of USBIG, and coeditor of Basic Income Studies. He co-edited two books, with Karl Widerquist,  on Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend, and has written many articles on topics related to basic income.

UBI and Climate Change