The richest 10 per cent of individuals globally have a significantly larger carbon footprint than the poorest 50 per cent, contributing disproportionately to climate extremes such as heatwaves and droughts, according to a study published Wednesday.
The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, reveals that the world’s wealthiest 10 per cent are responsible for two-thirds of observed global warming since 1990.
“Our study shows that extreme climate impacts are not just the result of abstract global emissions. Instead, we can directly link them to our lifestyle and investment choices, which in turn are linked to wealth,” explained lead author Sarah Schongart from ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
“We found that wealthy emitters play a major role in driving climate extremes, which provides strong support for climate policies that target the reduction of their emissions,” she added.
An international team of researchers from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Australia assessed the role of the highest-emitting social groups in driving climate change.
Findings revealed that the top 1 per cent of wealthiest individuals globally contributed 26 times the global average to increases in monthly 1-in-100-year heat extremes and 17 times more to Amazon droughts.
The study highlights the link between income-based emissions inequality and climate injustice, showing how the consumption patterns and investment choices of the wealthy have disproportionately driven extreme weather events.
“If everyone had emitted like the bottom 50 per cent of the global population, the world would have seen minimal additional warming since 1990,” said co-author Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, who leads the Integrated Climate Impacts Research Group at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria.
The impacts are especially severe in vulnerable tropical regions like the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and southern Africa, areas historically responsible for the least global emissions.
The study also emphasises the importance of considering emissions embedded in financial investments, not just personal consumption.
Researchers argue that addressing the financial portfolios and capital flows of high-income individuals could yield significant climate benefits.- IANS
