Historical Responsibility for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Lies with Developed Countries

Historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions lies with the richest countries. They are towering the overall emissions figures using 90 percent of the carbon budget. The emissions account of the poorest countries and the poorest 1 billion people is negligible, estimated at 3 percent. Human Development Report 2007/2008 states "that if all of the world's people generated greenhouse gases at the same rate as some developed countries, we would need nine planets."

According to the same report, rich countries are responsible for "about 7 out of every 10 tonnes of CO2 that have been emitted since the start of the industrial era." The top five biggest emitters responsible for more than 50 percent of world emissions are United States, China, India, Japan and Russian Federation. United States alone is responsible for one fifth and the top ten are responsible for more than 60% of total emissions.

The report further assesses that 60 million people of the United Kingdom emit more CO2 than 472 million people of Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Viet Nam combined. The figure of the CO2 emissions of the Netherlands alone is comparable to the combined total of seven Central American countries and also South American countries of Bolivia, Columbia, Peru and Uruguay. Population of New York State (19 million) emits more CO2 than population of 50 least developed countries (766 million).

Without substantial emissions reductions of the developed countries our current carbon budget will run out in 2030s.

The difference in the carbon footprint between the developed and developing countries is closely associated with growth and industrial development.

Developing countries are more and more contributing to the carbon footprint. China may quickly become the world's largest emitter while India is already the fourth largest. It is projected that by 2030 about half of the emissions will come from the developing countries.

The 2006 Stern Review on The Economics of Climate Change commissioned by the British government projected the future costs of global warming to be between 5 and 20 percent of annual world GDP. According to the same report, these high costs can be prevented by allocating 1 percent of GDP per annum toward greenhouse gas emission control and reduction. Stern increased this estimate in 2008 to 2 percent of GDP because of faster developing climate change.

"Decarbonizing" the planet is cheaper than business as usual. The benefits are far-reaching. According to UNEP, "every kilogramme of mercury taken out of the environment can trigger up to $12,500 worth of social, environmental and human health benefits."

Various high-level international meetings have addressed the climate change in the last 12 months prompting governments to rethink, reevaluate and revise conventional practices and policies and focus on environmentally sustainable solutions.

Looking forward to UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen set for December 7 -18, the challenge remains to reach an international agreement on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and allocation of emission rights and financing obligations.

Distinctions between the developed and developing countries in their historical responsibilities for climate change will need to be recognized. Although all countries need to reduce their emissions, the multilateral actions of the biggest polluters would address a large share of the global emissions.

The governments need to come up with agreements and solutions that will not curb the development or growth of any country, rich or poor.

Source: Human Development Report 2007/2008
Nicholas Stern. The Economics of Climate Change-The Stern Review
UNEP