Time & Perspective Quote by Chris Patten

“Undoubtedly” is doing the real political work here: it’s a rhetorical sandbag, dropped before anyone can wriggle away into “shared responsibility” platitudes. Chris Patten isn’t merely stating a climate fact; he’s trying to fix culpability in place, to make the conversation about emissions begin where power and consumption actually sit. By naming “developed countries” as the “major cause,” he shifts the frame from weather to governance, from moral panic to accounting.

The timing subtext matters. “At the moment” is a pressure valve and a tactical concession: it acknowledges rising emissions elsewhere (the standard counterargument aimed at China, India, and other fast-growing economies) while insisting that the historical and current baseline still belongs to the rich world. It’s also a hedge that lets him sound realistic rather than doctrinaire, a useful posture for a politician navigating international negotiations where every adjective is litigated.

Patten’s phrasing carries an implicit rebuke of outsourcing. What “happens in developed countries” isn’t just smokestacks; it’s lifestyles, supply chains, and demand. Even when production is offshored, the consumption logic often remains onshore. The line quietly challenges a familiar hypocrisy: wealthy states congratulating themselves on domestic climate targets while importing carbon-intensive goods.

Contextually, this fits Patten’s brand as a centrist establishment figure willing to puncture comforting narratives. It’s less a radical call than a disciplined attempt to anchor climate policy in responsibility: if developed countries are the principal drivers, they’re also the principal obligation-holders, financially and technologically, whether they like it or not.