This paper looks at the climate change problem from an equity perspective. It compares utilitarian approaches with ones based on rights or capabilities. It argues that few of the proposals that have been discussed in the literature have an ethical basis, while those that do have a number of problems. The paper looks at the practicalities of addressing the equity problem in international negotiations. Two specific dimensions of the equity problem in the context of climate change are explored further in the paper: those relating to uncertainty and those relating to discounting. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.