Richest 1% will account for 16% of total emissions by 2030, while poorest 50% will release one tonne of CO2 a year
The filthy rich treat the planet like dirt.
For the past few years it’s become fashionable for the ultra wealthy to take joy rides into space and send Teslas to Mars. I have absolutely no problem with serious space exploration. But these publicity stunts are little more than status displays designed to prove how much more powerful they than the rest of us. The resources consumed and the additional emissions generated by these flights are a highly visible punch in the gut to our planet.
The rich have always been obnoxious with their wasteful and conspicuous consumption. But now they are hurting the planet more than ever. (emphasis added)
The richest 1% – which is a population smaller than Germany – are on track to be releasing 70 tonnes of CO2 per person a year if current consumption continues, according to the study. In total they will account for 16% of total emissions by 2030, up from 13% of emissions in 1990. Meanwhile, the poorest 50% will be releasing an average of one tonne of CO2 annually.
“A tiny elite appear to have a free pass to pollute,” said Nafkote Dabi, climate policy lead at Oxfam, which commissioned the study by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). “Their oversized emissions are fuelling extreme weather around the world and jeopardising the international goal of limiting global heating,” she said.
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[T]he fight to keep 1.5C within reach is not being hampered by the consumption of most people on the planet, but by the excessive emissions of the world’s richest citizens, said Tim Gore, author of the briefing and head of the low-CO2 and circular economy programme at the IEEP.
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Gore said: “To close the emissions gap by 2030, it is necessary for governments to target measures at their richest, highest emitters – the climate and inequality crises should be tackled together. That includes both measures to constrain luxury carbon consumption like megayachts, private jets and space travel, and to curb climate-intensive investments like stock-holdings in fossil fuel industries.”
