evidence: Carbon dioxide emissions are the primary driver of global climate change. It's widely recognized that to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, the world needs to urgently reduce emissions. But, how this responsibility is shared between regions, countries, and individuals has been an endless point of contention in international discussions. [...] Other research and writing on CO₂ emissions on Our World in Data: [...] Since 1751 the world has emitted over 1.5 trillion tonnes of CO2.2 To reach our climate goal of limiting average temperature rise to 2°C, the world needs to urgently reduce emissions. One common argument is that those countries that have added most to the CO2 in our atmosphere – contributing most to the problem today – should take on the greatest responsibility in tackling it.