China labeled biggest polluter, more than US and rest of developed countries combined

A story from CNBC highlights the findings from a research and analytics firm called the Rhodium group. In their new report they just published earlier today, they’ve directly said that China’s greenhouse gas emissions for 2019 surpassed the United States and the rest of the developed world, combined.

Their article comes with a line graph that demonstrates how China’s gas emissions acceleration happened over time.

China’s percentage share of overall million metric tons for greenhouse gas emissions was 27%. The United States coming in second place, sitting at 11%. In a close tie for third is India and the European Union with 6.6% and 6.4%, respectively.

The Rhodium report points out that given China’s size, that context might help somewhat explain why they ended up where they are now.

In the clash between the United States and China the issue of climate is often brought up. However last month’s meeting between U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and China Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua shows some international cooperation is still on the table.

President Biden’s stance on confronting China is a point of contention especially when it comes to climate. This is largely due to the contrast of direct confrontation from the White House on stateside climate initiatives, versus a weaker backbone to call out other nations to do the same.

During a recent Earth Day speech last month, Biden refused to condemn China despite their reputation for pollution. The closest in terms of a commitment on the issue was seen back in early March. It was then the Biden administration touted the possibility of a carbon tax on imported goods.