A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change on May 7, 2025, presents a new alarming finding regarding climate change: the richest 10% of the planet are responsible for two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions. This observation has held true since the 1990s. They are also linked to the increase in extreme climate events.
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Financial Investments and the Consumption Patterns of the Rich Are Being Held Accountable
In 2022, economist Lucas Chancel raised concerns about this phenomenon: he notably showed that in 2019, the top 10% of the wealthiest had emitted a staggering 48% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast, the bottom 50% were only responsible for 12% of CO2 emissions.
Three years later, unfortunately, these observations still seem to hold true. By examining both economic data and conducting climate simulations, researchers have been able to define what each income group...
on a a global scale in terms of CO2 emissions. They were able to analyze how wealth levels are linked to climate change and extreme environmental phenomena. It has been established that financial investments play a particularly central role, in addition to the consumption patterns of the wealthiest. “The extreme climate impacts are not just the result of abstract global emissions; we can directly link them to our lifestyle and our investment choices, which in turn are related to wealth,” emphasizes Sarah Schöngart, the lead author of the study, in a statement.
The vulnerable regions mostly affected by the top 10% wealthiest
Through their research, scientists have established that the top 10% of the wealthiest people in the United States.and in China, have led to a doubling to tripling of extreme heat waves in vulnerable areas. Scientists report that this same percentage of the wealthiest people has contributed six times more than “average” individuals to droughts in the Amazon, for example.
Could there be a solution ? The implementation of progressive taxes, especially on investments that generate high carbon emissions, according to Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, director of the integrated climate impact research group at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria, as reported by Novethic. « A climate action that does not take into account the disproportionate responsibilities of the wealthiest...Riches, there's a risk of missing out on one of the most powerful levers we have to reduce future damages », he says.
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