When President Donald Trump unveiled plans to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord in 2017, he voiced his concern the Obama-era deal would amount to an international wealth transfer.
Trump pointed out the Paris accord “doesn’t eliminate coal jobs, it just transfers those jobs out of America, and ships them to other countries,” he said in a Rose Garden speech last year.
A new report shows Trump’s broader argument that emissions-intensive activities would not be eliminated, but moved overseas was probably correct. Industries have been moving operations overseas to poorer countries with fewer regulations.
The report, funded by the ClimateWorks Foundation, found that countries are increasingly “outsourcing” their emissions to other countries, like China and India.
Indeed, it’s a problem conservatives have warned about for years when it comes to climate policies — regulations emissions in, say, the U.S. will only encourage carbon dioxide-heavy industries to relocate overseas.
That’s exactly what’s been happening, according to the new report.
If those outsourced emissions were included “many promising climate trends would be negated or reversed,” reads the report by researchers with KGM & Associates and Global Eciency Intelligence LLC.
“It is estimated that 20-30% of global CO2 emissions are part of the carbon loophole; that is, these emissions comprise of goods and services that are internationally traded,” reads the report.
Trump was heavily criticized by European officials for deciding to leave the Paris accord, which the Obama administration joined in 2016 alongside China. However, many of those countries are major outsourcers of emissions.
In fact, the report details how emissions cuts of some of the biggest proponents of the Paris accord, from Germany to the U.K. to Japan, were much smaller once outsourced industrial activity was included.
“In Europe, Germany, the UK, France, Italy, and Spain are significant net importers,” according to the report. “Asia, India, Russia, and Korea are major net exporters. Japan, Thailand, Australia, Turkey, and Brazil also stand out as notable net importers of embodied CO2.”
The U.S. committed to cut greenhouse gas emissions 26 to 28 percent by 2025 as part of the Paris accord, while Chinese officials only promised to “peak” emissions by 2030 — meaning they would increase in the meantime.
Of course, companies decide to relocate for a variety of reasons outside of the regulatory environment, and other factors, like labor costs and a qualified workforce, also come into play.
The ClimateWorks report goes on to suggest ways countries can account for and reduce CO2 emissions from international trade, suggesting they follow California’s lead and adopt legislation requiring “low-carbon” steel, glass and other industrial materials.
However, while the law encourages companies to source domestic steel, forcing the purchase of costlier steel may not achieve the results California hopes for. Again, it could just drive more development outside the state and add to the unaffordability of California homes.
Steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are already benefiting domestic manufacturers, thereby inadvertently pushing companies to conform to California’s policy wishes.
The Trump administration could soon impose tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods as soon as Friday, according to CNN. U.S. officials already slapped tariffs on about $50 billion worth of Chinese goods this year.
Read more at Daily Caller
Smoke stacks have come down from city skylines. Wind turbines now blight our countryside.
Employment and opportunity has been gifted to China, elevating them into a world power. Wealth redistribution has occurred without carbon taxes. The NIMBY’S got their way.
Carbon dioxide is just a ruse.
As I have stated before, I have closely followed the climate change fraud almost since the beginning. Transferring carbon emissions to other countries rather than reducing them has been going on for a very long time. It must be ten years ago that the Europeans coined the term “carbon leak” referring to the loss of industry and the associated jobs to other countries in order to reduce CO2 emissions. We don’t need to follow this process in the US.
Transferring emissions has not escaped the attention of some of the activists who truly believe in climate change fraud. Some have proposed that instead of counting emissions based on what a country emits, it should be based on what it consumes. For example, for pants purchased in Great Britain, the emission necessary to make the clothing would count again that country whether made in Great Britain or China.
Is it so much countries moving industries to reduce CO2 or that the companies cannot compete any more due to increased energy costs so they move production to countries with lower costs? The results are the same but the actions of the governments essentially force businesses to migrate in order to compete.
Saying that countries meet emission goals by moving industry to other nations is an over simplification. No country does this on purpose. I’m sure that those who are imposing the measures to force emissions reductions are so incompetent that they have no idea what the results of their actions will be. But you are right, the reason companies make the move is because of the cost of energy.
Any business choosing to run the gamut of legislation from three levels of government must have a product for sale that can endure and pay for it. Energy taxation is but a slice of it.
There’s always more elections. As quickly as Trump turned the tide, there’s a Bernie Sanders surprise in our future. If you think that the USA and China have put the global warming scam 6′ feet under , you’re more optimistic than I.
China is now trying to track down a $trillion dollars that escaped the country to safe havens . So while manufacturing has been hammered the banks have been happily taking those tax cheat deposits allowing gross inflation in real estate that has absolutely screwed millions of young people in NA and robbed China of taxes .
Australia and New Zealand have recently frozen thousands of accounts . Just imagine how much has been laundered through the USA and Canada over the past 10 years . Hundreds of $billions is going to be tied up for years while real estate is going to get dumped to keep those Bentley’s rolling in while these crooks await trial .