Richest 1% account for more carbon emissions than poorest 66%, report says

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🗞️ Driving the news: A study produced by the Guardian, Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute titled ‘The Great Carbon Divide’ reveals the richest 1% emit more carbon than the poorest 66%
•  This elite group, which includes millionaires and high-income earners, was responsible for 16% of all CO2 emissions in 2019

🔭 The context: The report focuses on the causes and consequences of carbon inequality and the disproportionate impact of super-rich individuals
• It makes use of various income thresholds for the top 1% around the world, with $140,000 in the U.S. and $40,000 in Kenya as examples

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: This carbon inequality has dire consequences for vulnerable communities and global climate change efforts
• The report's findings underscore the need for addressing consumption patterns among the wealthy to effectively combat climate change

⏭️ What's next: Climate justice will be high on the agenda of this month’s UN COP28 climate summit in the United Arab Emirates
• Policies targeting the wealthiest emitters, such as taxes on frequent flying and non-green investments, are on the table for discussion

💬 One quote: “The super-rich are plundering and polluting the planet to the point of destruction and it is those who can least afford it who are paying the highest price,” (Chiara Liguori, Oxfam’s senior climate justice policy adviser)

📈 One stat: In France, the richest 1% emit as much carbon in one year as the poorest 50% do in 10 years

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