00:02The European Union is making an effort to cut emissions at home, but 35% of its carbon footprint was
00:09generated abroad in 2023.
00:12More than one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions are now linked to global trade.
00:16It creates a political problem for Brussels, which is heavily investing in the decarbonisation of factories, power plants and cars,
00:24as the bloc still consumes goods whose production generates emissions abroad.
00:29The EU-China relationship is not just about Europe's dependence on Chinese solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles, machinery or critical
00:38raw materials.
00:39It is also about the carbon embedded in the supply chains that support European consumption.
00:45A new report suggests that cooperation with trading partners such as China could deliver the largest emissions reductions,
00:52particularly through common product standards.
00:55Alternatively, EU lawmakers should facilitate bringing production back to Europe.
01:00However, the report stresses that reshoring is not automatically a climate win.
01:05If European production is itself carbon-intensive, relocating factories could simply shift emissions geographically rather than eliminate them.
