France and the European Union (EU) often pride themselves on being good students in the fight against climate change, thanks to their proactive policies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, even if these efforts remain insufficient.
A report made public on Monday, November 18 by the consulting firm Carbone 4 and the European Climate Foundation (ECF), consulted by the worldhighlights a blind spot in the commitment to fight global warming: emissions linked to international trade continue to increase.
Traditionally, a country’s GHG emissions are calculated based on the production of goods and services within its territory. This approach overlooks a crucial question: who are these goods intended for? For example, all emissions induced by the manufacturing in China of a microprocessor to be sold in France are currently counted in Chinese emissions. Therefore, this “by inventory” calculation minimizes the responsibility of importing countries.
Thus, a quarter of global emissions are “imported”, that is, produced by countries to satisfy the demand of other countries. An issue that is often left aside in climate negotiations because it affects competitiveness: “During COP21, several participants, including the EU, had a negotiating mandate not to take any measures that could slow the development of global trade”write the report’s authors, Richard Baron, Samuel Leré (ECF), César Dugast and Pierre Maquet (Carbone 4).
This year, the G20 representatives, meeting in Baku on the 29thmy United Nations Climate Conference (COP29), “however, recognize the right to regulate, including for environmental purposes, in this matter of trade and sustainable development”says Richard Baron, director of ECF’s international trade program.
Adjust emissions to final consumption
The final consumption approach, also called carbon footprint, adjusts emissions by country based on its trade. The analysis of those linked to imports allows us to know if a country that, apparently, is making progress in terms of decarbonization, in reality does not depend on the highly emitting supply chains of its trading partners.
“We Europeans will be able to decarbonize our territory, but we continue to cause emissions in other countries.” [par] our consumption »says César Dugast, co-director of the public debate division of Carbone 4.
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