Eco-harm of the Elite

 For decades, the biggest inequalities in carbon emissions have been between rich and poor countries. 

Now, inequalities within countries explain more of the gap between clean and dirty lifestyles. 

The top 1% of global earners — somebody earning a yearly salary of about €124,000 ($132,000) — are responsible for one-fifth of the growth in carbon pollution in the last 30 years. They live in cities from Miami to Mumbai. 

"The top 1% use basically a similar amount to the bottom 50% of humanity — and so obviously that, just in terms of scale, is a ridiculous proportion of the carbon budget," said Anisha Nazareth, a scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) studying emissions inequality.

 Oligarch Roman Abramovich's 162-meter-long boat comes with two helipads and a swimming pool. A study published in 2021 estimated that Abramovich's yacht emitted more carbon dioxide in 2018 than Tuvalu, a pacific island nation of 11,000 people.

In the EU, half the spending on air travel comes from the richest 20%. In the US and Canada, 19% of adults who take more than four flights a year account for 79% of the flights. 

Shrinking the carbon footprints of the super-rich? – DW – 01/02/2023