Which Countries Contribute Most To Climate Change

It's long been known which countries emit the nigh carbon dioxide, and thus contribute the most to climate change. But what virtually the carbon emissions of private people in those countries?

On Wednesday, British charity Oxfam released a study that establish the richest 10 percentage of people produce half of the planet's private-consumption-based fossil fuel emissions, while the poorest l percent — about 3.5 billion people — contribute only x percent. All the same those same 3.five billion people are "living overwhelmingly in the countries most vulnerable to climatic change," co-ordinate to the report. According to the data used by the written report, private consumption — every bit opposed to consumption past governments and international send — makes upwardly 64 percentage of worldwide climate emissions.

Oxfam estimates that the earth's richest 10 per centum of people have carbon footprints that are 60 times college equally the poorest 10 percent. Whatever estimation that generalizes big populations is difficult to make, but researchers at Oxfam also estimate that the emissions of the earth's richest 1 percent create an even larger emissions gap: the one pct could emit 30 times more than the poorest fifty percent and 175 times more than the poorest 10 pct.

oxfamreport

CREDIT: Oxfam

A 2013 assessment constitute that many depression-income countries are experiencing (and volition continue to feel as the climate changes) sea level rising, higher temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and other extreme weather condition events. This, coupled with the Oxfam information, means that the people who are most vulnerable to the threats of climate change are besides the to the lowest degree responsible for causing it. Researchers at Oxfam concluded that "climate alter and economic inequality are inextricably linked."

"[Climate change] is a crisis driven by the 'haves', which hits the 'havenots' the hardest," the report states. "If there is to be any justice in the deal in Paris, governments must evangelize something for the take-nots, wherever they alive."

There is no doubt that reaching an understanding between richer and poorer nations during the Paris climate talks, which began on Monday, volition not be simple. Differentiation — or what obligation each country has towards fighting climate change — has been a divisive issue amidst adult and developing nations. Developing countries say that they shouldn't have as big of an obligation to cut dorsum emissions equally adult countries, which accept been able to emit carbon for many decades. Even so, some adult countries indicate to the danger of allowing countries that aren't every bit adult as the the U.Southward. and other western nations, merely which are nevertheless major emitters, to go on emitting without major commitments to calibration dorsum their carbon output.

Earlier this yr, Pope Francis mentioned in his 2015 Papal Encyclical the "rich countries" whose pollution is affecting poor nations.

"The warming caused by the enormous consumption of some wealthy nations has repercussions in the poorest places on the planet… already we have exceeded certain limits of exploiting the planet, without solving the problem of poverty," he wrote.

The Paris climate talks will conclude on Dec 11, with the hopes of an international climate agreement existence reached.

This Climate Progress article appears with permission.