Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, May 7: A new study published in Nature Climate Change reveals that the wealthiest 10% of the global population are responsible for two-thirds of the observed global warming since 1990, significantly contributing to climate extremes like heatwaves and droughts. The study highlights the stark contrast between the carbon footprints of the richest individuals and the poorest 50% of the population.

Lead author Sarah Schongart of ETH Zurich explains, “Our study shows that extreme climate impacts are not just the result of abstract global emissions, instead we can directly link them to our lifestyle and investment choices, which in turn are linked to wealth.”

Researchers from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Australia found that the wealthiest 1% contributed 26 times the global average to the increase in 1-in-100-year heat extremes and 17 times more to droughts in the Amazon. The study underscores how wealth-driven consumption and investments are fueling climate change, especially in vulnerable regions like the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and southern Africa, which have historically contributed the least to global emissions.

The research also points to the significance of emissions embedded in financial investments, urging climate policies to target the emissions linked to the wealthiest individuals' financial portfolios. The study calls for greater focus on reducing the emissions tied to the financial flows and investments of high-income individuals to curb the effects of climate change.