This ‘offshoring’ of emissions is an important concern. But, thankfully, it is not the whole story. Researchers can use trade data across the world to adjust for the carbon that is emitted in the production of goods that are exported or imported.12, 13 When we account for all these traded goods we get what are called ‘consumption-based emissions’: for the UK, these not only reflect the emissions produced within the UK’s borders but also those involved in all of the goods it imports from overseas. In the UK, GDP per capita has increased by around 50% since 1990.ii Domestic emissions have
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