Indian-origin US politician Nikki Haley calls India 'one of the biggest polluters'

Republican Presidential candidate and Indian-origin politician Nikki Haley came under fire earlier this week after she called India and China the 'biggest polluters' in the world.

“If we want to be serious about saving the environment, we need to confront India and China. They are some of the biggest polluters," the former South Carolina Governor tweeted on Monday.

If we want to be serious about saving the environment, we need to confront India and China. They are some of the biggest polluters.

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) June 5, 2023

However, Haley's current home has historically been responsible for more carbon emissions than any other country, according to a report from Our World in Data.

"The United States has emitted more CO2 than any other country to date: at around 400 billion tonnes since 1751, it is responsible for 25% of historical emissions; this is twice more than China – the world’s second largest national contributor," the report says.

Back in 2020, Haley's party colleague and then President Donald Trump alleged that India, China and Russia do not take care of their air, while America does, noting that he withdrew from the "one-sided, energy-destroying" Paris climate accord which would have made it a "non-competitive nation".