Myth: Emissions from China and India will overwhelm us

Emissions from China and India will overwhelm any reductions achieved by the rest of the world, so nations like Australia are wasting their time taking action on climate.

Fact:

China and India are not doing nothing and are nowhere near as responsible for the problem as we are. Most of the CO₂ in the atmosphere was put there by the nations of Europe and North America, so it is incumbent on them to take the lead when it comes to solving the problem. Australia, with the second-largest greenhouse gas emissions per capita among the OECD nations, is also responsible for a disproportionately high level of CO₂. It has a moral responsibility to rectify this. 

It’s also worth noting that if Australians really are concerned about China’s and India’s emissions, they should stop selling them the coal and gas that are causing those emissions.