Empty commitments on emissions

According to the Guardian, a new report highlights how the EU and US are effectively exporting their emissions commitments to China. The UK claims an 18% reduction in emissions since signing Kyoto. However, imports to the UK have produced substantial emissions in China. 9% of total Chinese emissions are the result of manufacturing goods for the US, and 6% are from producing goods for Europe.

Academics and campaigners argue that the responsibility for these emissions lies with the consuming countries

Dieter Helm, professor of economics at Oxford University, said "focusing on consumption rather than production of emissions is the only intellectually and ethically sound solution". "We've simply outsourced our production," he added."

However, a country's emissions and commitments are calculated on the basis of their production. To include levels of carbon "embedded" in imports would mean imposing a border tax on carbon products. This however is expensive and difficult to calculate and open to mis-use as a protectionist measure.

A more elegant solution would be a global carbon tax...