Study shows the relationship between emission inequality based on performance and climate injustice.
The 10% richest of the world population are responsible for two thirds of global warming since 1990 and the increase of extreme weather events such as heat and dried waves, derived from climate crisis, according to one study.
The investigation, published in the magazine and quoted on Wednesday by Even to what extent the different groups and societies contribute to emissions and revealed that the richest 1% in the world has contributed 26 times more than the global average for increasing global temperature extremes and 17 times more for droughts in the Amazon.
The work, conducted by ETH Zurich (Switzerland), shows the relationship between emissions inequality based on performance and climate injustice, revealing that the consumption and investments of the rich have had and continue to have a disproportionate impact on extreme weather events.
These effects are “Especially serious in vulnerable tropical regions, such as Amazon, Southeast Asia and South Africa”which have historically contributed less to global emissions.
The study shows that extreme climate impacts are not just the result of abstract global emissions, but “They can be directly linked to lifestyles and investment choices, which in turn are linked to wealth,” He stressed Sarah Schöngart, researcher at ETH Zurich and main author of the study.
“We found that rich broadcasters play a significant role in conducting climate extremes,” and this “provides strong support for climate policies aimed at reducing their emissions,” Schöngart said.
“Correcting this imbalance is crucial”
Using a model that combined economic data and climate simulations, researchers were able to track emissions from different global income groups and evaluate their contribution to specific climate extremes.
Thus, they found that emissions from the richest 10% of the United States and China population only have multiplied extreme temperatures in vulnerable regions two or three times.
“If everyone had issued the poorest 50% of the global population, global warming would have been minimal since 1990,” said Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, co-author of the study and director of the Iiasa Integrated Climate Impact Research Group.
“Correcting this imbalance is crucial for fair and effective climate action,” recalled the investigator.
O study also highlights the importance of emissions related to financial investments And it states that focusing on financial flows and portfolios of individuals with high income can generate substantial climate benefits.
The authors believe that these findings can help launch progressive policies instruments directed to social elites and They highlight that making rich polluters can also provide very necessary support for adaptation and loss and damage to vulnerable countries.
Rebalancing responsibility for climate action according to the actual contribution to emissions “It’s essential”, not only to contain global warming, “but also to reach a fairer and more resilient world”the authors conclude.
