'I just let it happen'

A global emissions analysis by The Washington Post found that many countries under-reported their greenhouse gas emissions in reports submitted to the United Nations, ranging from at least 8.5 billion tons to as high as 13.3 billion tons per year. This survey measures the difference between the emissions into the air publicly recognized by countries and the total emissions actually found in the atmosphere, showing that the data used by the United Nations to establish a climate change framework is flawed at best.

In addition to the underestimation of carbon dioxide and methane emissions, the Washington Post also found that in some cases, no man-made emissions of fluorinated gases, such as those used in air conditioning and refrigeration, were reported at all. "It's hard to imagine how policymakers will take ambitious climate action if they don't get the correct data on the issue from governments," an environmental advocate told The Post. The UN department that collects and monitors the reports and commitments of countries attributed the gap to "different application of reporting formats and inconsistencies in reporting scope and timeliness."