The richest populations are also those who have a “Immense responsibility” in global warming. And therefore those which should be used the most to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, starting with carbon dioxide (CO₂), underlines the Laboratory on Global Inequalities, attached to Paris School of Economics. However, politicians have done too little to tackle “The significant carbon footprint of the very rich”, according to the new report from this group of researchers, published Tuesday, December 7.
Measure the“Global carbon inequality”, to use the title of a chapter in the report, it turns out ” even more difficult “ as the assessment of disparities in income and wealth. The chapter on this issue, under the coordination of economist Lucas Chancel, is based on the carbon footprint in the broad sense: both that of the various sectors of the economy, that linked to the levels of government investments and that , in particular, resulting from inequalities in private consumption. “When North Americans import smartphones (phones) from East Asia, the carbon emissions created during the production, transportation and sale of these smartphones are attributed to North Americans and not to Asians. the East “, specifies the report.
Targeted measures
First lesson: the richest 10% of the planet alone accounted for almost half of all carbon dioxide emissions recorded in 2019 (47.6%). Conversely, the less wealthy half of the population generated only 12%. Compared to the 7.7 billion inhabitants on Earth, each one emitted an average of 6.6 tonnes CO₂ equivalent that year. The share can however vary appreciably: 1.6 tons per person for the less rich half of the population, against 31 tons for each of the richest 10% … and 110 tons per person for the wealthiest fraction (1% of population).
In other words, the urgency calls for targeted measures, first in the direction of the largest emitters. The goal of containing global warming 2 ° C more by the end of the century, compared to the pre-industrial era, would assume an average emission of 3.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide per capita each year of here at 2050. Even 1.1 tonnes, to contain the warming to 1.5 ° C. On the basis of various projections, including demographic ones, these calculations should be “To be interpreted with caution”, is it nevertheless written.
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