Historic climate debt: Who is responsible for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

10/28/2021 – Since 1850, humanity has already possessed more than 2,500 billion tons of carbon dioxide₂ chest. This corresponds to approximately 90% of what is called CO₂budget and lead to a global temperature increase of 1.2 degrees by 2021. CO₂The budget is the maximum mass of carbon dioxide that humanity can release so that there is still a two-thirds chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

Who is CO₂ release him

British podium carbon brief He analyzed which countries account for the majority of the carbon dioxide already released into the atmosphere₂Emissions are responsible. The USA accounts for about 20 percent of the total carbon budget. As the largest industrialized country, the United States is well ahead. China, which has been booming for several years, contributes less CO2 by 11 percent₂-Budget in. However, the CO₂Emissions have increased faster and faster in the past few decades. Russia is followed by 7 percent.

The industrialized nations of Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan have a mobility of between 3 and 4 percent, and thus are also among the top ten. For states, emissions from the time of coal-rich industrialization are included, but only for the lands of the original state lands and not for the colonial areas under their administration at the time. Among the top ten companies₂Consumers also include India, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia.

Land use matters

For the first time, the carbon feed also includes emissions from forests and land use. These were excluded from many analyses, but they make up approximately one-third of all emissions. The remaining two-thirds are carbon monoxide₂Emissions from fossil fuels, cement and greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide₂ are not included.

Which countries have the highest carbon dioxide levels?₂Consumption changes dramatically when forest and land use is included. Brazil and Indonesia in particular are among the largest consumers, ahead of Germany, the United Kingdom, and India.

How is liability measured?

Dai Ko₂– Emissions are measured on-site and estimated for countries within their limits. This leads to a number of distortions, since, for example, China produces a large amount of goods that are consumed in other countries. Many Western countries can, so to speak, outsource a certain amount of emissions. The same applies to CO₂– Missions in international fields that are not assigned to any country in the current analysis. If taken as a separate component, it is not exactly small and would be the eleventh largest share of carbon dioxide₂emissions.

So the question of historical climate debt raises a whole series of other questions. Are emissions measured at the production site or where they are consumed? Should emissions be reduced to per capita consumption or to the nation’s consumption? Are the colonial powers responsible for the resurgence of colonies, or are the colonies themselves? It is not at all clear how responsibility can best be measured and compared. JB