UK — In 2023, then-UK prime minister Rishi Sunak questioned the fairness of requiring the United Kingdom to make greater climate sacrifices despite its share of global emissions. "When our share of global emissions is less than 1%, how can it be right that British citizens are now being told to sacrifice even more than others?" Sunak asked. The UK accounts for 1% of global emissions.

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a think tank, identified 200 instances of claims regarding small emission shares in national newspapers across 27 countries. These 27 countries are collectively responsible for less than 2% of global CO2 emissions.

Piers Forster, a professor at the University of Leeds, countered this argument. "These leaders wouldn't like it if the top 1% of their wealthiest citizens didn't pay their taxes, so the argument is fallacious and simply buck-passing," Forster said. He added, "Future warming is driven by future emissions, so every tonne of carbon dioxide that a country or citizen can avoid emitting will improve temperature and heatwave outcomes for generations."

Ella Gilbert, a climate scientist and board member at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, stated that the climate does not differentiate carbon sources. "The climate doesn't care where carbon comes from – whether [it's] from multiple countries responsible for smaller proportions of emissions, or China," Gilbert said. She also remarked, "The UK may account for just 1% of current global emissions, but we're responsible for 100% of our own emissions, and we have the opportunity to show global leadership by bringing them down." The climate crisis is a global problem and every country should be acting to reduce emissions and build a greener global economy, especially those with the largest historical responsibility, like the UK, according to Gilbert.

The US, China, and India collectively account for just over half of current carbon pollution. In 2024, these three nations were the only countries individually responsible for over 5% of carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. Conversely, 194 countries are individually responsible for less than 5% of global emissions, and together, these nations contribute just under half of humanity's yearly emissions. Small-emitting nations account for 32% of global emissions.

An April YouGov poll conducted for the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit indicated that one in four Britons believe countries emitting less than 1% of total emissions should cease efforts to reduce them.

Why It Matters

This discussion centers on a global debate regarding the responsibility for climate action, particularly for countries with smaller individual contributions to global emissions. The argument that smaller emitters should not be required to make large sacrifices contrasts with the scientific view that all reductions are cumulatively important for mitigating climate change, regardless of a single nation's proportional share. The differing perspectives influence public opinion and policy decisions on climate efforts.