The UK is responsible for almost twice as much global heating as previously thought when its colonial history is taken into account, analysis has revealed.
The UK’s domestic emissions account for 3% of total world emissions dating back to 1850. But when responsibility for emissions in countries once under the British empire’s rule is given to the UK, the figure rises to more than 5%.
These additional emissions come largely from the destruction of forests in the colonised countries, with the biggest contributors coming from India, Myanmar and Nigeria before their independence.
The analysis by Carbon Brief moves up the UK from eighth to fourth in the list of nations with the biggest historical emissions, behind the US, China and Russia.
The climate crisis, which has led to temperature records being shattered in 2023, is predominantly the result of carbon emissions from rich nations. However, the worst impacts of intensifying extreme weather are hitting poorer nations, which have very low emissions.
The issue of responsibility features strongly in the international UN climate negotiations, which resume again at Cop28 in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
It is especially important in debate over the provision of climate finance to developing nations. A new “loss and damage” fund will be a critical matter of contention at the summit.