A fifth of global emissions are tied to trade, and imports go largely uncounted

A new analysis from the European Climate Foundation and climate consultancy Matière finds that international trade in goods and services is linked to roughly 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the countries that consume those goods rarely account for the pollution created to produce them. Under the Paris Agreement, nations report only emissions generated within their own borders, meaning a country that manufactures goods for export bears the accounting burden even when the products are used elsewhere.

The study found that the European Union's domestic emissions have fallen since 2015, but its imported emissions have barely moved, masking how much of its climate progress depends on outsourcing production. China is both the world's largest exporter of trade-embedded emissions, surpassing Brazil's entire annual carbon footprint, and its largest importer, mainly through agricultural goods, fossil fuels, and minerals.

Mechanisms like the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism attempt to close this gap by taxing carbon-intensive imports, but emerging economies, including signatories of the recent BRICS declaration, have criticized such measures as protectionism disguised as climate policy.

Based on reporting by Sebastian Rodriguez for Climate Home News. Read the original: https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/09/15/international-trade-global-emissions-study-europe-china-us-imports/