The Fairtrade Carbon Credits: a fair method to tackle the climate change

Abstract

Since the eighties, the fair trade movement has been expanding, involving even more producers and consumers around the world. Its main scope is to improve the living conditions of the poor in the developing countries by providing them with fair trade economic practices. Currently, developing countries have been strongly hit by climate change effects. One of the main organizations of fair trade at international level, Fairtrade International, is thus undertaking a new additional approach, which allows for a more sustainable development as well as responds to the growing problem of climate change: the Fairtrade Carbon Credits (FCCs). After a deep analysis of the negative impacts of climate change on the developing countries, the thesis examines the carbon emissions trading system under the fair trade scheme. In particular, the study focuses on how the FCCs work and on how they represent a concrete way to reduce the greenhouse gases in a similar, but more sustainable way than other protocols already in place. Indeed, they can generate simultaneously environmental, social and economic benefits both for buyers and fair trade producers. Moreover, in support of the thesis, case studies and empirical evidences of the impacts will be provided.