The UK accounts for less than 1% of global emissions so why should we bother?

China accounts for over 30% of greenhouse gas emissions whereas the UK accounts for less than 1%.

The UK only accounts for less than 1% of global emissions so why should we be bothering to make such a fuss about the transition to a greener economy? What about China which contributes nearly one third of the world’s greenhouse gases?

Here are some things to think about when looking at these numbers. If you look at greenhouse gas emissions per person as opposed to in total you get quite a different picture. China owing to their vast population ranks in the middle of the top 20 industrial nations a bit above the UK. As you might expect the poorest countries have a minimal impact on global warming even though many are having the biggest impacts from climate change.

The 1% figure is also only looking at emissions within our borders. The true carbon footprint for the UK is at least double as emissions from items like international flights and shipping, imported fossil fuels and manufactured goods are all excluded. In effect the West has outsourced our emissions to other countries like China as most of the goods we consume are made abroad.

Then there is the question of whether you look at emissions per year or cumulative emissions. If a company polluted your neighbourhood over a large number of years and then said they had stopped over the last year you would still hold them responsible for the historic event. In historical terms the UK is the world’s eighth biggest emitter.

The other aspect to consider is the staggering growth of China’s ‘zero emissions economy’. These are a few of the most notable examples:.

●      China has 58% of the world’s solar capacity and is expected to double this by 2026. As a result China is totally dominant in the supply of solar panels and supplies over 95% of solar panels in the EU.

●      Over 50% of all vehicles sold in China are electric vehicles. Their electric cars are half the price of ours and China totally dominates the global battery market.

●      China has over 50 nuclear power stations, has about 30 under construction and is planning to build 6 to 10 new nuclear power plants each year for the foreseeable future.

Even using the 1% figure the UK is still in the top 20 emitters in the world. China’s role in the future won’t be as simple as it seems now and in the meantime they will have captured the dominant position in nearly every key sector. 

Note: See the website Our World In Data for information on emissions by country.