‘But we’re just 1% of emissions’: do smaller countries’ climate efforts matter?
Past and present leaders of wealthy nations such as UK and Germany have argued their actions are insignificant
TL;DR
- Leaders like Rishi Sunak and Scott Morrison have used their country's small share of global emissions (<2%) to justify delaying climate action.
- Climate scientists argue that historical emissions and per capita contributions are more significant than current annual percentages.
- Wealthy countries have a greater capacity to invest in reducing pollution.
- The argument is used by nationalist-populist parties across Europe to weaken climate policy.
- Reducing emissions is essential to avoid dangerous climate tipping points, and every country is responsible for its own emissions.