Climate: the assets of billionaires explode their carbon footprint


Inequality

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Ever richer despite the pandemic, billionaires have seen their capital soar. Just like their negative impact on the climate, disproportionate to the rest of the population.

Looking at the carbon footprint of the lifestyle of the ultra-rich is good: in France, an individual belonging to the richest 1% pollutes thirteen times more than 50% of the poorest. But looking at what is also happening on the financial heritage side is better: that of billionaires, excessive, has serious consequences on the climate.

Thus, as revealed by a report coordinated by the NGOs Oxfam and Greenpeace, the assets of 63 French billionaires – France has 119, according to Forbes and Challenges, but the lack of transparency in their financial data does not allow them to be included in the study – they emit almost as much as those in half of the country’s households. Consequence of this colossal capital? 152 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent are emitted in one year. This is more than the territorial emissions of Denmark, Finland and Sweden combined.

Auchan and Lactalis at the top of the ranking

At the top of the ranking of the most polluting assets, we find business owners in the retail, agri-food or maritime transport sectors: …



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