“Why should we do so much to reduce our carbon emissions when countries like India and China, the worst contributors, are doing nothing?” I hear this statement, or ones very similar to it, all the time. I understand it’s frustrating that some of the worst polluters are doing the least to combat climate change but to me it’s a very strange way of thinking. Let’s start with some stats first!
Worst Polluting Countries
- China
- USA
- India
- Russia
- Japan
- Germany
Now to put that list in a bit more context, because I was surprised to see Germany on there. I wish I was surprised about the USA but I’m not, although I know some people will be.
Fossil CO2 emissions (Mt CO2</yr)
| Country | Emissions 1990 | Emissions 2017 | % of world emissions (2017) | Emissions % Change |
| World | 22,674.116 | 37,077.404 | 100.00% | 63.5% |
| China | 2,397.048 | 10,877.218 | 29.34% | 353.8% |
| USA | 5,085.897 | 5,107.393 | 13.77% | 0.4% |
| India | 605.968 | 2,454.774 | 6.62% | 305.1% |
| Russia | 2,378.921 | 1,764.866 | 4.76% | -25.8% |
| Japan | 1,149.400 | 1,320.776 | 3.56% | 14.9% |
| Germany | 1,018.097 | 796.529 | 2.15% | -21.8% |
| International Shipping (7) | 371.804 | 677.248 | 1.83% | 82.2% |
| International Aviation (12) | 258.941 | 543.381 | 1.47% | 109.8% |
| UK (19) | 589.038 | 379.150 | 1.02% | -35.6% |
From looking at the table above (more figures here) it’s quite clear that China and India are increasing their fossil CO2 emissions by a massive amount, whereas Russia and Germany have done a great job in decreasing their emissions. Both Russia and Germany still have a long way to go as they are both still in the top 6 polluting countries but they’re heading in the right direction at least.
The USA contributes 13.77% of the worlds emissions and they could make a massive difference if they wanted to. International Shipping and Aviation is increasing their pollution at a rapid rate as well. The UK, currently the worlds 19th worst polluter, has decreased emissions by 35.6%, a great achievement but again, we could do so much better.
If Flying, Shipping, China and India all contribute so much pollution why should we bother to reduce ours?
Firstly people need to be aware of what is causing pollution, and that is slowly happening. More people are reducing the number of flights they take as they become aware of how bad flying is for the planet. Everyone should also reduce the amount they purchase from abroad, this will reduce products being sent by ship or plane and that would massively help to decrease CO2 emissions.
But why should we suffer (potentially by carbon taxes being imposed) if China and India don’t care? The point is we’ll still suffer, but if we choose to increase our emissions, worldwide pollution would be even worse.
Let me try to explain why we still need to make the effort even if China and India don’t by the use of this analogy:
Imagine a street with 10 houses.
The street is quite close to a river which will flood all 10 houses and render them uninhabitable if there’s a massive downpour.
If some preventative measures are taken (flood defences) the houses won’t be flooded and the residents will be able to carry on living there for at least another 50 years.
The problem is that the preventative measures cost money and take time to build and 6 of the residents refuse to contribute any money or time because they don’t believe a massive downpour is going to happen.
The other 4 residents who believe a massive downpour will happen could club together and pay for some flood defences and spend time building them which could potentially save all 10 houses, but they don’t have enough money or time for the full flood defences so their gardens will be destroyed.
In the end they conclude that they don’t think it’s fair that they should waste their time or money when the other 6 won’t.
No flood defences are paid for or built and there’s a massive downpour and all 10 houses now have to be abandoned and all 10 residents lose everything they owned.
If everyone had contributed all of the houses, gardens and belongings could have been saved.
If the 4 residents had worked together all of the houses and belongings could have been saved but a few of the gardens might have been ruined.
But in the end everything was lost because ‘it’s not fair’ that some should contribute when others refused.
This bizarre ‘it’s not fair’ attitude is detrimental to all of us.
There are other ways that the worst polluting countries could be ‘encouraged’ to reduce their CO2 emissions. If we stop buying their products they will produce less stuff meaning lower emissions during production and lower emissions due to transportation. We, as individual consumers, can make the choice not to purchase from China, USA and India until they improve. Or our leaders could refuse to trade with them until they work with the rest of the world. Do you think China would risk losing £44.7 billion worth of imports into the UK?
“China was the UK’s fourth largest source of imports in 2018, accounting for 7% of UK imported goods and services” “UK imports of goods and services from China in 2018 were £44.7 billion, also a record high. UK imports from China have now grown year on year every year since 1999.” – source
We need strong leaders who care about the planets future and who have the courage to cease trade with people who cause harm to all of us. In the meantime stop buying products made in these countries and when their income goes down they will realise they have to do something.
If I still haven’t convinced you, maybe this will. Saying why should we bother to reduce carbon emissions when others won’t is the same as saying ‘why should I throw my rubbish in the bin when other people throw theirs on the ground?’
