Climate Change: Wealthy Countries Did It, They Should Pay For It

Jason Hickel, The Lancet

[The Lancet is better known for medical research and public health. But they see the causes and effects of climate change on public health and the catastrophic direction we’re heading in, as a species. In this article, they make it clear just how much responsibility rich countries have for climate change. The Global North (North America, Europe, Australia) released the carbon causing so much harm. It stands to reason that they must also shoulder the primary costs of implementing climate solutions. — Progressive Hub]

As of 2015, the USA was responsible for 40% of excess global CO₂ emissions. The European Union (EU-28) was responsible for 29%. The G8 nations (the USA, EU-28, Russia, Japan, and Canada) were together responsible for 85%. Countries classified by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as Annex I nations (ie, most industrialised countries) were responsible for 90% of excess emissions. The Global North was responsible for 92%. By contrast, most countries in the Global South were within their boundary fair shares, including India and China (although China will overshoot soon).

Interpretation

These figures indicate that high-income countries have a greater degree of responsibility for climate damages than previous methods have implied. These results offer a just framework for attributing national responsibility for excess emissions, and a guide for determining national liability for damages related to climate change, consistent with the principles of planetary boundaries and equal access to atmospheric commons.