Richest 1% emit twice as much carbon as poorest 50%

• A rich person contributes more to the climate crisis than a poor person:

       ○Between 1990 and 2015, the richest 1 per cent of humanity accounted for 15 per cent of cumulative emissions,

       ○while the poorest 50 per cent accounted for only 7 per cent,

       ○a new report by Oxfam International and the Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI) has found.

• According to the report titled Confronting Carbon Inequality:

  ○the richest 10 per cent did so by 31 per cent.

  ○During the same period, the poorest 50 per cent used only 4 per cent of the carbon budget.

   

• The richest 1 per cent depleted the global carbon budget for 1.5 degrees Celsius by 9 per cent;
• While the richest 10 per cent accounted for 46 per cent of emissions growth, the poorest 50 per cent accounted for only 6 per cent.
• Largest share of emissions by the rich was from flights and cars, including private jets, luxury SUVs and sports cars, the report said.
  • The report underlined the need to focus on clipping emissions of the richest 10 per cent:

  ○Reduction of the per capita footprint to the 1.5°C-consistent level by 2030 would cut annual carbon emissions by over a third.

  • About half of the emissions of the richest 10 per cent are associated with North America and the European Union (EU).
  • This is consistent with Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment’s analysis of the carbon budget in 2018,

  ○according to which an Indian emitted only 1.97 tonnes carbon dioxide (tCO2) annually, while Americans and Canadians both emitted well over 16 tCO2.

  • India’s per capita emissions were a fraction of not just the EU (6.78 tCO2 / person), but also China (7.95 tCO2 / person), making it the lowest per capita emitter amongst the world’s large economies.
  • Additionally, the per capita CO2 emissions of the richest 10 per cent Indians were about 4.4 tonnes in 2018.
  • In comparison, the per capita emissions of the richest 10 per cent Americans were 52.4 tonnes — almost 12 times that of the richest Indians.
  • The report briefly acknowledged the intersectionality of income inequality and the climate crisis with factors such as race, class, gender, caste and age.
  • The report highlighted the need for systemic change rather than a sole focus on individual action and called for “new economic models that don’t depend on the endless growth in consumption of the already affluent”.
    
    SRC : DTE