“Individual consumers in the most affluent and least populous countries of Western Europe are importing the same mass of emissions as are exported by 5 to 10 people in China.”

In the fight against climate change it often seems to be forgotten that it’s not just about the emissions of a country a certain individual lives in. Emissions caused by imports are easily overlooked. In particular, more affluent countries should take the lead in global mitigation efforts.

“The prosperity of developed countries was not only founded on two centuries of fossil fuel emissions, but also in some cases is now being maintained by emissions produced in developing countries.”