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Anchor Lisa Mullins reports on a new study that includes imported consumer goods when calculating a nation’s carbon footprint.

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LISA MULLINS: We’ve got a brief note now on new ammunition in the rhetorical battle over who’s most responsible for climate change emissions. For years the United States was the world’s number one carbon dioxide polluter. In recent years though, that dubious distinction shifted to China. Well, now a new study hands the crown right back to the US. The study includes the carbon impact of goods consumed in a country, not just those made in the country. The study was conducted by a researcher at the Center for International Climate and Environment Research in Norway. The study calculated emissions within seventy three countries. And then it added the carbon footprint of imports and subtracted the carbon footprint of exports. The results showed that richer countries tended to have bigger carbon appetites, with the right US at the top.

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