The United States has caused $10,000 billion in climate damages since 1990, according to a study published on March 25 in Nature. Being the leading greenhouse gas emitter in history, the country has caused more harm to global economic growth than any other country, as analyzed by The Guardian.
The excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activities lead to global warming, which results in a profound transformation of the climate with more intense floods, recurring droughts, heatwaves, forest fires, etc. By destroying property or hindering people from working, these events have major repercussions on the economy.
In recent years, China has surpassed the United States in emissions, but the economic impact of the latter remains lower. “China ranks second in terms of damages caused by its emissions during this period (with estimated losses of $8,700 billion). It is followed by the European Union (6,420 billion dollars in damages),” the authors wrote.
Helping the most vulnerable
“The responsibility [of the United States] is enormous,” emphasized Marshall Burke, a researcher at Stanford University who led these studies, to The Guardian.
“Our emissions have not only harmed us, but they have also caused considerable damage in other regions of the world.”
Developing countries have asked the wealthiest nations, which have emitted the most greenhouse gases since the industrial revolution, to financially assist them in dealing with the “losses and damages” caused by climate change. However, the fund dedicated to this, announced at COP28 in Dubai in 2023, falls short of their expectations.
Furthermore, since returning to the helm of the United States, Donald Trump has withdrawn the country from international climate treaties and funds meant to help the most vulnerable nations. “I do not believe in our ability to compel the Donald Trump administration to return to the negotiating table on the issue of losses and damages caused,” Marshall Burke lamented. “However, these elements clearly show that he should do so.”
