Science Desk, May 7 (EFE).- The wealthiest 10 percent of the global population have caused nearly two-thirds of global warming since 1990, significantly driving extreme climate events such as heatwaves and droughts, according to a study published Wednesday in Nature Climate Change.
The study, conducted by researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, analyzed how different income groups contribute to emissions and how the climate would have evolved if the wealthiest 10 percent had not contributed to global emissions between 1990 and 2019.
“We found that the wealthiest 10% contributed 6.5 times more to global warming than the average, with the top 1% and 0.1% contributing 20 and 76 times more, respectively,” the study said.
The findings highlight the link between income-based emission inequality and climate injustice.
The researchers say that the consumption and investments of the wealthy have “disproportionately” driven climate extremes, especially in “vulnerable” tropical regions such as the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and southern Africa. These areas have historically contributed the least to global emissions.
The study shows that extreme climate impacts are not just the result of “abstract global emissions” but can be “directly linked” to lifestyles and investment choices of the wealthiest.
“We found that wealthy emitters play a major role in driving climate extremes, which provides strong for climate policies that target the reduction of their emissions,” said Sarah Schongart, lead author of the study.
The researchers also tracked emissions by income groups and measured their impact on specific climate extremes.
They found that emissions from the richest 10 percent in the US and China alone were enough to double or triple the frequency of extreme temperatures in vulnerable regions.
“If everyone had emitted like the bottom 50% of the global population, the world would have seen minimal additional warming since 1990,” said co-author Carl-Friedrich Schleussner.
He emphasized that correcting this imbalance is essential for effective climate action.
The researchers hope their findings will inform policies that make wealthy polluters pay for climate adaptation and compensation in the world’s most vulnerable countries. EFE
ecg/bks/sc
