This is how the richest 1% of the world’s population harm nature

According to new research; The richest 1 percent of the world’s population emits more carbon emissions than the poorest 66 percent.

The most comprehensive study ever conducted on global climate inequality shows that the wealthy group of 77 million people, including billionaires, millionaires and those earning more than $140,000 a year, were responsible for 16% of all carbon emissions in 2019.

The study said that this group pushed the planet to the brink of extinction. The report notes that this has serious consequences for vulnerable communities and global efforts to combat the climate crisis.

The causes and consequences of carbon disparities have been examined in comprehensive research jointly prepared by the prestigious British newspaper and the international aid non-profit Oxfam.

Air-conditioned life, private jet…

The report shows that while the richest 1% tend to live insulated, air-conditioned lives, their emissions are responsible for great suffering. According to the report; Emissions of just 1 percent will cause 1.3 million deaths in the coming years.

Over the period from 1990 to 2019, cumulative emissions of 1 percent were equivalent to wiping out last year’s harvests of corn in the European Union, wheat in the United States, rice in Bangladesh, and soybeans in China.

According to the research; This is reflected in people living in poverty, marginalized ethnic communities, migrants and the homeless. These groups are less likely to have savings, insurance or social protection, and are more vulnerable, both economically and physically, from floods, droughts, heatwaves and bushfires.

The United Nations also says that 91 percent of deaths caused by extreme weather conditions occur in developing countries.

“They lift the planet”

Another startling detail in the report is that it would take nearly 1,500 years for someone in the bottom 99% of the population to produce the same amount of carbon as the richest billionaires in one year.

“The super-rich are plundering the planet, polluting it to the point of destruction, and those paying the highest price are those who cannot afford it,” said Chiara Liguori of Oxfam.

A less discussed but faster growing problem is inequality within countries. The vast majority of billionaires are still white, male, and live in the United States and Europe; But members of this wealthy and influential class are increasingly located in other parts of the world.

The extreme carbon footprint of 0.1%, from luxury yachts, private jets to palaces, from spaceflight to doomsday shelters, is also attracting attention.

They also have political power

Moreover, according to the report, this elite also enjoys political power by owning media and social media networks, employing advertising and public relations agencies and lobbyists, and mingling with high-ranking politicians. For example; It is noteworthy that one in four members of the US Congress owns shares in fossil fuel companies with a total value ranging between $33 and $93 million.

At this point, Oxfam recommends high wealth taxes on the rich and windfall taxes on fossil fuel companies in order to support those suffering most intensely from the devastating effects of the climate crisis, reduce inequality, and finance the transition to renewable energy.

Amitabh Behar of Oxfam said: “Not taxing wealth; It allows the rich to rob us, destroy our planet, and abandon democracy. “Taxing extreme wealth changes our chances of fighting inequality and the climate crisis.”

Climate justice will be high on the agenda of the United Nations COP28 climate summit scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates this month.

Although The Guardian did not include names from the 1 percent when the report was published, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have been on the agenda for a long time with their race in space studies. In addition, Musk established his dominance in the media by purchasing Twitter after Tesla and SpaceX. On the other hand, Bezos has been the target of criticism for his million-dollar superyacht.

In addition, many famous global names, including Jeff Bezos, have gone to conferences on private planes to discuss the climate crisis and faced the wrath of environmentalists for the carbon emissions they cause.