The Ultrawealthy Produce More Carbon Pollution Than Nearly Half of Humanity

A recent report by Oxfam reveals that the ultrawealthy are responsible for emitting more carbon pollution than nearly half of the world's population. Rachel Carle, a senior advisor on climate justice at Oxfam America, states that the ultra-rich contribute disproportionately to the climate crisis while being insulated from its impacts and even profiting from the resulting disasters.

The report highlights that the top 1% of the richest individuals contribute 20% of global warming since 1990, which is 20 times more than their share of the world's population. This disproportionate impact is also evident within countries. For instance, in the U.S., someone in the richest 0.1% emitting an average of $1.98 million a year emits 48 times more CO2 than the average person in the U.S. over a year.

One of the major sources of emissions is the use of private jets, which in 2025 released 16 million metric tons of CO2. This is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of over 2 million homes. The U.S. has the highest concentration of private jet use, with 68% of all private jets taking off from the country.

The report also notes that private jets spent more than 6.5 million hours in the air last year, emitting more in just 2 seconds than the entire annual CO2 output of the world's poorest 50% of people. Furthermore, the ultrawealthy are more likely to invest in polluting industries, which further exacerbates the climate crisis.

The researchers used climate attribution models and a consumption-based emissions dataset to determine emissions based on income groups. They found that the richest 1% are responsible for emitting 20% of global warming since 1990, which is 20 times more than their proportion of the global population. This means that the actions of the ultrawealthy directly contribute to extreme heat events, with one year's worth of emissions from the richest 1% causing an estimated 1.9 million additional heat-related deaths.