The U.S. caused nearly $2 trillion of climate harm to poorer nations, study finds

For decades, environmental activists along with some government officials and scientists have argued that rich countries, who have historically emitted the most greenhouse gases, should pay the most to address climate change, and even pay poor countries reparations. Global rich must cut their carbon footprint 97% to stave off climate change, UN says

A new study by two Dartmouth scientists aims to calculate just how much economic impact larger emitters have caused other nations. Published Tuesday in the journal Climatic Change, the study says the figures could be used in courtrooms and in international climate negotiations about payments from rich nations that burn more coal, oil and gas, to poor countries damaged by emissions.

For example, the data shows that the top carbon emitter over time, the United States, has caused more than $1.9 trillion in climate damage to other countries from 1990 to 2014, including $310 billion in damage to Brazil, $257 billion in damage to India, $124 billion to Indonesia, $104 billion to Venezuela and $74 billion to Nigeria.