Same answer that the other gave, in my words: Emissions are an external cost, meaning its information is lost in the price of making something. If a country p

Same answer that the other gave, in my words: Emissions are an external cost, meaning its information is lost in the price of making something. If a country produces a lot of goods that are carbon intensive and export them, the country who import those goods cannot really calculate the carbon emission of those goods with precision. They can do estimates. This is why accusing china of being a large emitter is wrong for several reasons: * they are the factory of the world, they export a lot of stuff * their emission per capita is lower compared to developed countries Even though it's true that China could switch to nuclear energy, although they already have a lot of it.