In an interview with the press in 2021[1], the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen, stated that "growth and CO2 emissions [were] not necessarily linked", citing the European Union (EU) as an example. Since 1990, the EU has in fact reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% while increasing its gross domestic product (GDP) by 60%. Although this is true at the level of the EU-27, it is hardly transposable on a global scale.
In a sample of 126 economies that have been growing for the past ten years, a minority (36%) are reducing their CO2 emissions[2], most often from a relatively high level of wealth (two-thirds belong to the top quartile of the GDP per capita distribution). At the lower end of the income scale, declining emissions are the exception rather than the rule.
Net CO2 emissions vs. GDP per head for 126 countries
If the expansion of developing or emerging countries still relies heavily on fossil fuels, it is because their availability and cost (especially for coal) remain decisive criteria for choice. In order to help overcome this situation, the experts of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) recommend intensifying international cooperation in all areas (financial, technological or socio-cultural). In 2009, the developed countries committed to mobilizing USD 100 billion per year to help developing countries in their ecological transition. At the last count of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the target has yet to be attained.
Jean-Luc Proutat
