[hn_throwaway_99]

> Assuming emissions are roughly proportional to spending

But without more info, that seems like a pretty awful assumption. A lot of the stuff we export are services and high value goods that I would think have a relatively low "emissions to value" ratio compared to the lower value manufactured goods we import.

[tonyedgecombe]

>But without more info, that seems like a pretty awful assumption.

I don't know why you think that, pretty much everything we buy devolves to energy in some form or another.

[hn_throwaway_99]

Because it's not an even split. Sure, I could buy that, on average, energy use grows in proportion to economic growth, but some activities (e.g. services) I'd expect to have much less energy use that others (e.g. manufacturing).

And, when you look at actual data, e.g. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=33812, that is exactly what you see.