World’s Wealthiest Drive Two Thirds of Global Warming Since 1990
A study examining the wealthiest people in the USA and China reveals that the world’s richest 10% are responsible for two-thirds of global warming since 1990. Their consumption and investments disproportionately fuel climate extremes, especially in vulnerable regions like the Amazon and Southeast Asia. According to the lead author of the study: “If everyone had emitted like the bottom 50% of the global population, the world would have seen minimal additional warming since 1990”. This underscores the urgent need to examine the lifestyle choices and investments of the world’s richest people an
... show more
World’s Wealthiest Drive Two Thirds of Global Warming Since 1990
A study examining the wealthiest people in the USA and China reveals that the world’s richest 10% are responsible for two-thirds of global warming since 1990. Their consumption and investments disproportionately fuel climate extremes, especially in vulnerable regions like the Amazon and Southeast Asia. According to the lead author of the study: “If everyone had emitted like the bottom 50% of the global population, the world would have seen minimal additional warming since 1990”. This underscores the urgent need to examine the lifestyle choices and investments of the world’s richest people and for robust climate policies targeting the world’s most powerful in order to achieve true #ClimateJustice #ClimateActionNow
[strong]International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. (2025, May 7). The world’s wealthiest 10% caused two thirds of global warming since 1990. ScienceDaily. sciencedaily.com/releases/2025…[/strong]
A groundbreaking study published in Nature Climate Change has found that the world’s wealthiest 10% are responsible for two-thirds of global warming since 1990. The research, conducted by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), highlights the disproportionate impact of affluent individuals’ consumption and investments on climate change. The study reveals that the top 1% of earners globally have contributed 26 times more to increases in extreme heat events and 17 times more to Amazon droughts compared to the global average. These findings underscore the significant role that high-income individuals play in driving climate extremes, particularly in vulnerable regions such as the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and southern Africa.
Lead author Sarah Schöngart, associated with ETH Zurich, emphasizes that lifestyle and investment choices linked to wealth are major contributors to climate impacts. “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,” she stated. The research utilised a novel modeling framework combining economic data and climate simulations to trace emissions from different global income groups. It found that emissions from the wealthiest 10% in countries like the United States and China led to a two- to threefold increase in heat extremes across vulnerable regions.
The researchers were able to trace emissions from different global income groups and assess their contributions to specific climate extremes.
“If everyone had emitted like the bottom 50% of the global population, the world would have seen minimal additional warming since 1990,” says coauthor Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, who leads the Integrated Climate Impacts Research Group at IIASA. “Addressing this imbalance is crucial for fair and effective climate action.”
He advocates for climate policies that address the outsize responsibilities of the wealthiest members of society to effectively reduce future harm.
The study also highlights the importance of targeting emissions embedded in financial investments, not just personal consumption. By focusing on the financial flows and portfolios of high-income individuals, substantial climate benefits can be achieved. This research provides compelling evidence for the need to implement progressive climate policies that hold the wealthiest accountable for their disproportionate contributions to global warming. Such measures are essential for achieving climate justice and mitigating the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable populations.
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. (2025, May 7). The world’s wealthiest 10% caused two thirds of global warming since 1990. ScienceDaily. sciencedaily.com/releases/2025…
ENDS
Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry
Mountain Tapirs are the most threatened large mammals of the northern Andes, hunting, climate change and mining are threats, take action and boycott gold!
Forest 500 report shows 150 of the world’s largest financial institutions invested nearly $9 trillion in deforestation-linked industries. Support EUDR!
Saolas are rare and considered Southeast Asia’s ‘unicorns’, this Critically Endangered antelope is facing imminent extinction due to hunting and deforestation
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Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
As the lush equatorial rainforests of South East Asia are exhausted, increasingly focus is being placed on parts of Central and South America. Oil Palm is a growing commodity there and is found in …
World’s Wealthiest Drive Two Thirds of Global Warming Since 1990
A study examining the wealthiest people in the USA and China reveals that the world’s richest 10% are responsible for two-thirds of global warming since 1990. Their consumption and investments disproportionately fuel climate extremes, especially in vulnerable regions like the Amazon and Southeast Asia. According to the lead author of the study: “If everyone had emitted like the bottom 50% of the global population, the world would have seen minimal additional warming since 1990”. This underscores the urgent need to examine the lifestyle choices and investments of the world’s richest people and for robust climate policies targeting the world’s most powerful in order to achieve true #ClimateJustice #ClimateActionNow
[strong]International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. (2025, May 7). The world’s wealthiest 10% caused two thirds of global warming since 1990. ScienceDaily. sciencedaily.com/releases/2025…[/strong]
A groundbreaking study published in Nature Climate Change has found that the world’s wealthiest 10% are responsible for two-thirds of global warming since 1990. The research, conducted by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), highlights the disproportionate impact of affluent individuals’ consumption and investments on climate change. The study reveals that the top 1% of earners globally have contributed 26 times more to increases in extreme heat events and 17 times more to Amazon droughts compared to the global average. These findings underscore the significant role that high-income individuals play in driving climate extremes, particularly in vulnerable regions such as the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and southern Africa.
Lead author Sarah Schöngart, associated with ETH Zurich, emphasizes that lifestyle and investment choices linked to wealth are major contributors to climate impacts. “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,” she stated. The research utilised a novel modeling framework combining economic data and climate simulations to trace emissions from different global income groups. It found that emissions from the wealthiest 10% in countries like the United States and China led to a two- to threefold increase in heat extremes across vulnerable regions.
The researchers were able to trace emissions from different global income groups and assess their contributions to specific climate extremes.
“If everyone had emitted like the bottom 50% of the global population, the world would have seen minimal additional warming since 1990,” says coauthor Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, who leads the Integrated Climate Impacts Research Group at IIASA. “Addressing this imbalance is crucial for fair and effective climate action.”
He advocates for climate policies that address the outsize responsibilities of the wealthiest members of society to effectively reduce future harm.
The study also highlights the importance of targeting emissions embedded in financial investments, not just personal consumption. By focusing on the financial flows and portfolios of high-income individuals, substantial climate benefits can be achieved. This research provides compelling evidence for the need to implement progressive climate policies that hold the wealthiest accountable for their disproportionate contributions to global warming. Such measures are essential for achieving climate justice and mitigating the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable populations.
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. (2025, May 7). The world’s wealthiest 10% caused two thirds of global warming since 1990. ScienceDaily. sciencedaily.com/releases/2025…
ENDS
Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry
Mountain Tapirs are the most threatened large mammals of the northern Andes, hunting, climate change and mining are threats, take action and boycott gold!
Forest 500 report shows 150 of the world’s largest financial institutions invested nearly $9 trillion in deforestation-linked industries. Support EUDR!
Saolas are rare and considered Southeast Asia’s ‘unicorns’, this Critically Endangered antelope is facing imminent extinction due to hunting and deforestation
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
As the lush equatorial rainforests of South East Asia are exhausted, increasingly focus is being placed on parts of Central and South America. Oil Palm is a growing commodity there and is found in …
If you think all the little things we ordinary mortals do are the driver of #ClimateChange, think again - "Just 57 companies linked to 80% of greenhouse gas #emissions since 2016
Analysis reveals many big producers increased output of fossil fuels and related emissions in seven years after Paris climate deal
A mere 57 #oil, #gas, #coal and #cement producers are directly linked to 80% of the world’s #GreenhouseGas #GHG emissions since the 2016 #Paris climate agreement, a study has shown.
This powerful cohort of state-controlled corporations and shareholder-owned multinationals are the leading d
... show more
If you think all the little things we ordinary mortals do are the driver of #ClimateChange, think again - "Just 57 companies linked to 80% of greenhouse gas #emissions since 2016
Analysis reveals many big producers increased output of fossil fuels and related emissions in seven years after Paris climate deal
A mere 57 #oil, #gas, #coal and #cement producers are directly linked to 80% of the world’s #GreenhouseGas #GHG emissions since the 2016 #Paris climate agreement, a study has shown.
This powerful cohort of state-controlled corporations and shareholder-owned multinationals are the leading drivers of the climate crisis, according to the Carbon Majors Database, which is compiled by world-renowned researchers." ... "During this period, the biggest investor-owned contributor to emissions was #ExxonMobil of the #UnitedStates, which was linked to 3.6 gigatonnes of CO2 over seven years, or 1.4% of the global total. Close behind were #Shell, #BP, #Chevron and #TotalEnergies, each of which was associated with at least 1% of global emissions."
WaPo finally posted a modest critique of meat industry greenwashing.
<💬> Under another new California law, companies also must disclose the emissions created throughout their supply chains, and the Securities and Exchange Commission is working on a similar requirement.
It all has big food companies rushing to show progress in cutting emissions, particularly after so many of
... show more
"How meat and milk companies are racing to ease your climate guilt."
WaPo finally posted a modest critique of meat industry greenwashing.
<💬> Under another new California law, companies also must disclose the emissions created throughout their supply chains, and the Securities and Exchange Commission is working on a similar requirement.
It all has big food companies rushing to show progress in cutting emissions, particularly after so many of them promised to zero out their net release of greenhouse gases — known as going “carbon neutral” — by 2050 or earlier, in alignment with the Paris agreement on global warming. In the backdrop is a contentious debate over how those companies should calculate their carbon footprints.
The fight has shifted to an obscure independent organization called the GHG Protocol, a group made up of corporations, scientists and environmental groups that writes accounting rules for greenhouse gas emissions that will guide what climate claims companies can make under new state laws.
Among the companies involved in determining when and how farming and harvesting methods can be used to erase the emissions impact of products like hamburgers and dairy are McDonald’s, Nestlé and the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, to which meat giants Tyson Foods and Cargill belong.
The deliberations of the GHG Protocol, which is managed by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, are kept confidential. But discord spilled into public in the fall, following its publication of draft guidelines for farm and forestry emissions. Dozens of environmental groups and academics say the rules as proposed would allow companies to declare climate-unfriendly products such as lumber, paper, beef and milk carbon neutral — or even carbon negative — by making modest land use adjustments that don’t truly mitigate the emissions of those products. </💬>
There's certainly going to be more and more tension due to these corporations trying to find better greenwashing, better methods of faking data, more sophisticated bullshit.
In a 2023 article published in Nature Sustainability, researchers write that food production can be more sustainable by focusing less on traditional agriculture and more on alternative methods, lik…
