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 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.
Our new analysis offers a thought-provoking fresh perspective on questions of climate justice. It is well known that colonial powers extracted natural resources from colonised lands to support their economic and political power, but the link to historical emissions had never been quantified until now. Our findings reinforce the significant historical responsibility of developed countries for current warming, particularly the former colonial powers in Europe. Many of these countries now have declining emissions. Yet their relative wealth today and their historical con
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