[MCN] Are the elites largely responsible for climate change?

[Lance Olsen]

AI Overview
Yes, elites are disproportionately responsible for climate change, with studies showing the wealthiest 1% to 10% of the global population are responsible for a disproportionately large share of emissions through their consumption, private jets, yachts, and investments in fossil fuel companies. Research indicates that the wealthiest 10% of people have contributed to a majority of the observed global warming since 1990. 
Consumption: High-income individuals have significantly higher carbon footprints due to lifestyle choices, including private air travel and large homes.
Investments: The ultra-rich invest heavily in polluting industries, such as fossil fuels, which directly drives emissions. Some reports highlight that certain billionaires' investments alone are comparable to the emissions of thousands of homes.
Economic inequality: There is a strong link between wealth and carbon emissions. Studies have found that the wealthiest 10% of people are responsible for a significantly larger portion of emissions compared to the poorest 50% of the global population, who account for a much smaller share.
Impact on climate extremes: The disproportionate emissions from the wealthiest groups are linked to the increased frequency and severity of climate extremes, such as heatwaves and droughts, particularly impacting vulnerable regions. 


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"On average, the top 1% of global earners – people who earn $130,000 a year or more – cause 110 metric tonnes of carbon emissions each year per person. For perspective, that’s about 2,200 times the carbon burden of a typical citizen of Burundi.

“The world’s 1-percenters out-polluted the poorest half of humanity twice over between 1990 and 2015, and recent estimates suggest they are collectively responsible for more than 11 times the annual greenhouse gas emissions attributed to notorious climate villain ExxonMobil. Meanwhile, the top 10% – which includes earners who make $39,100 a year, a middle class income for individuals in Global North countries like the US – produce nearly half of all carbon harms. 

"No arithmetically coherent plan to cut carbon emissions can ignore this reality.”

https://science.thewire.in/environment/technofixes-elites-responsibility-climate-crisis/

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“… the serious meaning in a concept lies in the difference it will make to someone if it is true.”

William James (1842 –1910)
Pragmatism. Meridian Books, 1955

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