CLAIM: Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg claimed that India is an “even bigger problem” than China on carbon emissions after a moderator of the ninth Democrat debate said that China was the “number one producer of carbon emissions.”
VERDICT: False. China is the largest global emitter of carbon dioxide, according to Statista.
An NBC News debate host asked Bloomberg, “Your business is heavily invested in China … the number one producer in the world of carbon emissions. How far would you go to force China to reduce those emissions and tackle climate crisis?”
Bloomberg responded, “In all fairness, China has slowed down. It’s India that’s the bigger problem.”
According to a December 2019 Statista article, China was the “largest emitter of carbon dioxide.”
China accounted for about 27.5 percent of global CO2 emissions in 2018, the U.S. accounted for 14.81 percent, and India accounted for 7.26 percent.
“In terms of overall emissions, the United States, India and China were all ranked among the five largest emitters, with China taking the top spot,” the Statista article said.
A number of international affairs experts noted Bloomberg’s false claim.
Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group tweeted, “Don’t understand why Bloomberg thinks India a bigger climate issue than China. He knows the issue.”
Edward Luce, an associate editor of Financial Times, tweeted, “Bloomberg wrong about India: Its carbon emissions are a fraction of China’s.”
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