The fight against climate change continues. Even though this struggle is a common struggle of humanity, it is not possible to say that everyone is equally responsible. Oxfam International’s latest research also reveals this situation. According to the research, the richest 1 percent exceeds the total carbon emissions of more than 5 billion people.
Shared just before world leaders gathered
The new research, which is a repeat of the study titled “Climate Equality: A Planet for the 99%” conducted by the Stockholm Environment Institute in 2019, examined the carbon emissions of people with the highest incomes by country. In other words, while the richest 1% in the USA includes people with annual income over 140 thousand dollars, this limit was different in other countries. The report was published before the COP28 summit of world leaders to be held in Dubai this month.
According to the research, the world’s richest 77 million people cause more carbon emissions than the poorest 5.11 billion people. In this case, the carbon footprint caused by investments is also effective. However, it is not possible to blame investments alone. For example, Bernard Arnault, the founder of Louis Vuitton, causes 1270 times more carbon emissions than an average French citizen, even if we leave aside all his investments.
According to Max Lawson, one of the authors of the study, it is much easier for rich people to reduce their carbon footprint. However, according to Lawson, the main message to be drawn here is that the policies to be determined should be progressive. It may be possible to achieve this through taxes or other sanctions.
Additionally, not all rich people cause carbon emissions at the same rate. Billionaires cause more emissions than people further down the list. In addition, half of the world’s carbon emissions are accounted for by the richest 10%.
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