Key takeaways
- It is important to consider both production and consumption activity when assessing a country’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.
- Developed countries’ total emissions have been relatively flat, while those of developing countries have been growing rapidly.
- Large emitters are typically large economies, and they are not necessarily more carbon-intensive.
- Big polluters have a relatively small portion of their production-based emissions embedded in international trade.
- Policies targeted at big polluters’ exported emissions will have limited impact on their domestic emissions; significant decarbonization will need to be driven by domestic climate policies.
- International trade is still an important factor in global decarbonization as the total amount of emissions embedded in trade is significant.
Photo credit: iStock
