The 50 richest people in the world produce, on average, more carbon through investments, private jets and yachts, in an hour and a half, than the average person produces in their entire life, concludes a report by the humanitarian organization Oxfam. .
The first study of its kind, titled “Carbon inequality kills,” monitored emissions from private planes, yachts and polluting investmentsdetailing how the super-rich fuel inequality, hunger and death around the world, and how their huge emissions are accelerating climate collapse and wreaking havoc on lives and economies.
The carbon footprint of a super-rich European, accumulated during almost a week of using superyachts and private jets, corresponds to the lifetime carbon footprint of a person from the poorest 1% in the world, where they suffer the most dangerous consequences of the climate crisis.
“Europe’s super-rich are treating our planet as their personal playground. His dirty investments, his private jets and his yachts are not only symbols of excess, They are fueling inequality, hunger and even death“said Oxfam International expert, Chiara Putaturo, in a statement released.
Almost 40 percent of the multibillion-dollar investments analyzed in the study concern highly polluting industries, such as oil, mining, shipping and cement.
The total investment emissions of 36 of the richest billionaires in the European Union are equivalent to the annual emissions of more than 4.5 million Europeans, the organization concludes.
Thus, Chiara Putaturo argues that the super-rich should foot the bill for their carbon footprint, not ordinary Europeans, which means more taxes for the super-rich, such as wealth taxes, and higher taxes on superyachts and jets. private.
Oxfam International, which currently has 21 affiliated organizations, launched this report two weeks before the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), scheduled for November 11-22 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Source: Observadora
