Since 1990, growth in developing countries has been responsible for most greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, said Stephan Klasen, from the University of Göttingen, at a seminar organised jointly by the EIB Institute, the University of Luxembourg and other partners as part of the “Inequality and…” series.

China, Brazil and Indonesia have all followed the same carbon-intensive development path as older industrial countries, he said, and if we want to fight against climate change we need to decouple GHG from growth.

In order to lead these countries towards policies for a better climate, he added, economists should focus on the risks of this type of growth, such as air pollution and energy security, which are particularly relevant, and abandon their ideal of a global uniform and mandatory carbon price.

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