Ban SUVs and frequent flights, says Oxfam author
The Prince of Wales has warned the climate crisis will “dwarf” the impact of coronavirus.
In a recorded message, to be played at the virtual opening of Climate Week on Monday, Prince Charles said “swift and immediate action” was needed.
The prince said Covid-19 provided a “window of opportunity” to reset the economy for a more “sustainable and inclusive future”.
He added that the pandemic was “a wake-up call we cannot ignore”.
His comments coincide with a report released today that claims the richest people on the planet have brought the world to the climate brink.
Oxfam’s new report, ‘Confronting Carbon Inequality,’ says the richest 1% of the world’s population were responsible for more than twice as much carbon pollution as the poorer half of the world from 1990 to 2015.
Carbon dioxide emissions rose by 60% over this critical 25-year period of unprecedented pollution growth, but the increase in emissions from the richest 1% was three times greater than the increase in emissions from the 3.1 billion people who made up the poorest half of humanity.
The richest 10% of the global population, comprising about 630 million people, were responsible for about 52% of global emissions over the 25-year period, the study showed.
Globally, the richest 10% are those with incomes above about $35,000 (£27,000) a year, and the richest 1% are people earning more than about $100,000.
Tim Gore, Head of Climate Policy at Oxfam and author of the report, said: “The over-consumption of a wealthy minority is fuelling the climate crisis yet it is poor communities and young people who are paying the price.”
‘Confronting Carbon Inequality’ estimates that the per capita emissions of the richest 10 per cent will need to be around 10 times lower by 2030 to keep the world on track for just 1.5C of warming.
A recent study found that the richest 10 per cent of households use almost half of all the energy linked to land transport and three quarters of all energy linked to aviation. SUVs were the second biggest driver of global carbon emissions growth between 2010 and 2018.
Gore said: “Simply rebooting our outdated, unfair, and polluting pre-Covid economies is no longer a viable option. Governments must seize this opportunity to reshape our economies and build a better tomorrow for us all.
“Governments must curb the emissions of the wealthy through taxes and bans on luxury carbon such as SUVs and frequent flights. Revenues should be invested in public services and low carbon sectors to create jobs, and help end poverty.”
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