The Doomsday Clock is an internationally recognized design that conveys how close we are to destroying our civilization with dangerous technologies of our own making. First and foremost among these are nuclear weapons, but the dangers include climate-changing technologies, emerging... Read More
Ahmed Abdel LatifCarlos M. CorreaFrederick M. Abbott
To pursue climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, developing nations need access to technology. But most intellectual property relevant to clean energy is held in the developed world. Exactly how serious is this problem—and what can be done about it?
The author argues that the best way to address tensions in poor countries between intellectual property rights, and climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, may be for competitive private markets to operate alongside a publicly funded system for research, development, and technology transfer.
According to the author, history suggests a bit of skepticism regarding the idea that global public funding will be sufficient for addressing climate change in developing countries.
The author argues that, to the extent intellectual property rights pose an obstacle to the adoption of low-carbon technologies in developing countries, solutions beyond the imposition of compulsory licenses are available.
