British empire’s past emissions ‘double UK’s climate responsibility’

A crowded riverside in Kolkata, India, during British rule more than 100 years ago. Photograph: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland/PA

The UK is responsible for almost twice as much global heating as previously thought when its colonial history is taken into account, analysis has revealed.

The UK’s domestic emissions account for 3% of total world emissions dating back to 1850. But when responsibility for emissions in countries once under the British empire’s rule is given to the UK, the figure rises to more than 5%.