Share this on social media

World's richest 1% cause double CO2 emissions of poorest 50%, says Oxfam

(The Guardian, 21 Sep 2020) Charity says world’s fast-shrinking carbon budget should be used to improve lot of poorest.

The wealthiest 1% of the world’s population were responsible for the emission of more than twice as much carbon dioxide as the poorer half of the world from 1990 to 2015, according to new research.

Carbon dioxide emissions rose by 60% over the 25-year period, but the increase in emissions from the richest 1% was three times greater than the increase in emissions from the poorest half.

The report, compiled by Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute, warned that rampant overconsumption and the rich world’s addiction to high-carbon transport are exhausting the world’s “carbon budget”.

Such a concentration of carbon emissions in the hands of the rich means that despite taking the world to the brink of climate catastrophe, through burning fossil fuels, we have still failed to improve the lives of billions, said Tim Gore, head of policy, advocacy and research at Oxfam International.

External link

The Guardian, 21 Sep 2020: World's richest 1% cause double CO2 emissions of poorest 50%, says Oxfam