Reports from a US study, released today, show that emissions resulting from goods produced abroad and imported to Britain are the highest in Europe and the third highest in the world after the US and Japan.  Within the context of import-related emissions, Britain is responsible for 253m tonnes CO2 every year, predominantly released in developing countries.  Population figures show this equates to 4.3 tonnes CO2 per person, which is half as much again on top of the average UK emissions per capita.

The study shows how the UK is outsourcing a significant proportion of its emissions to countries like China, where manufacturing emissions for products used elsewhere are counted on their national emissions register and against their reduction targets.  China recently resisted setting binding emission targets at the Copenhagen climate summit, unwilling to accept responsibility for these import-related emissions.

Scientists at the Carnegie Institute of Washington who undertook the study, using 2004 international trade data, have highlighted the unresolved nature of international carbon emissions responsibility.  Japan’s domestic market creates 284m tCO2 in imported product emissions each year, and the US generates more import emissions than both the UK and Japan combined, at 699m tCO2. Who should be accountable for these emissions is as yet unclear on the international political stage.

But the impact of these findings is very significant when it comes to legally binding, international emission reduction agreements. The emissions accounting system is fraught with political difficulties, but to stop the isolation of import-related emissions could offer a fairer negotiating position for developing countries.  

At present such manufacturing nations such as China and India rely heavily on fossil fuels for the energy used in manufacturing. Carbon finance is already opening up the market in renewable energy generation, creating emissions savings at scale and facilitating a low carbon development path. The Carnegie Institute study further underlines why this carbon finance should come from Europe and the US.

Visit the Carnegie Institute website.
View a Guardian article on import emissions.