Policy makers are called upon to ensure the wealthy ‘polluter elite’ switch to more sustainable behaviour, as new report reveals they are responsible for twice as much emissions as the world’s poorest 50 per cent.
It has been widely acknowledged that efforts to address the climate crisis requires universal behaviour change. Nevertheless, a new report by the Cambridge Sustainability Commission shows that this responsibility is not evenly shared, finding that almost half the growth in global emissions was due to the richest 10 per cent, and the wealthiest 5 per cent alone contributes to over a third.
In the year the UK hosts COP 26, government continue to reward some of Britain’s biggest polluters through tax credits. The Commission report highlights that policymakers are approaching the UK’s climate targets in the wrong way, and government ‘must use this historic juncture to build fairer economies within the limits our planet can bear.’
To limit global warming to the 1.5 Celsius target established in the Paris Agreement, the report outlines that dramatic lifestyle changes are needed in among the wealthy, dubbed as the ‘polluter elite’.
The Commission report suggests that to meet the 1.5 Celsius target, the richest 1 per cent of the global population needs to reduce their emissions by a factor of at least 30 by 2030. Meanwhile, the poorest 50 per cent could increase their emissions three times over.
The report recommends that a combination of efforts to reduce the carbon footprints of the richest alongside the construction of affordable and low carbon infrastructures around housing, transport and energy for poorer households.
The authors propose frequent flyer levies, bans on selling and promoting SUVs and other high polluting vehicles, reversing recent announcement on cutting green grants for homes and electric cars, and supporting electric public transport and community energy schemes.
