The world’s wealthiest individuals generate a staggering share of global carbon pollution, with the top 1% producing more emissions than the poorest 3.5 billion people combined, according to a new report. The findings highlight deep disparities in environmental impact driven by extreme wealth.
Authored using climate attribution models and a consumption-based emissions dataset developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute, the analysis focuses on income groups rather than just national borders. The data shows that the global top 1%, consisting of roughly 8 million people who earn an average of $442,000 annually, hold a disproportionate responsibility for greenhouse gas output. At the extreme end of the scale, an individual within the richest 0.1% emits 48 times more carbon dioxide than the average person in the United States over the course of a single year.
The release of the report coincides with mounting international pressure to curb greenhouse gas emissions. United Nations officials warned this month that keeping global warming below the critical threshold of 2 degrees Celsius requires urgent intervention, demanding a drastic 18% reduction in global emissions by the year 2030.
While historical research has established that wealthier nations drive the majority of global carbon pollution, the new findings emphasize that severe consumption disparities persist within individual countries as well. The United States currently stands as the world’s second-largest carbon emitter, trailing only China. Yet, domestic emissions are far from evenly distributed.
According to the report, a member of the richest 0.1% living in the United States—defined as those making an average of $1.98 million a year—emits more carbon dioxide in just under four months, specifically 118.3 days, than a person in the poorest half of the country, who earns an average of $25,600 annually, emits over an entire span of 30 years.
