Given their historical responsibility for past emissions and given their current high levels of emissions, wealthy nations must lead the way in reducing per capita emissions and achieving a full transition to a carbon-neutral economy.
Western countries are gradually advancing in the development of renewable energy and improving energy efficiency. However, a significant portion of their recent emission reductions is still largely due to the transition from coal-fired power plants to natural gas, as alternative clean energy sources remain costly, as discussed in the following section.
Despite these reduction efforts, global fossil fuel consumption continues to rise, driven by economic growth in developing countries like China and India, which rely heavily on fossil fuels. As a result, emission reductions in the West are being offset by increases elsewhere.