Intergenerational equity under catastrophic climate change.

Summary Climate change raises the issue of intergenerational equity, as catastrophes may unfairly affect some generations. As climate change threatens irreversible and dangerous impacts, possibly leading to extinction, one relevant trade-off may not just involve present and future consumption, but present consumption and the mere existence of future generations. This paper aims at identifying public policies that can reduce unfairness and strike a compromise between present and future generations when the potential impact of catastrophic climate change on the economy is accounted for.