Scientists have been able to calculate the economic impact of individual countries' carbon emissions on the global economy, in what they say could become a "game-changer" for climate litigation.
The research by US-based Dartmouth College estimates that the greenhouse gas emissions from only five countries between 1990 and 2014 resulted in global economic losses of up to $6tn (£5tn), with nations in the global south having been hit hardest.
The study's conclusions, published in the journal Climatic Change, provide a basis for nations to make legal claims for economic losses tied to carbon emissions, according to the researchers.
“Greenhouse gases emitted in one country cause warming in another, and that warming can depress economic growth,” said Justin Mankin, senior researcher of the study. “This research provides legally valuable estimates of the financial damages individual nations have suffered due to other countries’ climate-changing...