The richest 10 per cent of people produce half of the world’s carbon emissions, while the poorest contribute just 10 per cent, according to a report from Oxfam released Wednesday.
The Oxfam report also points to how the poorest half of the world, about 3.5 billion people, are disproportionately affected by floods, droughts and super storms linked to climate change.
The report – released to coincide with the climate talks in Paris – found the richest 10 per cent on average have carbon footprints 11 times that of the poorest people on the planet. Oxfam says in total, personal consumption generates around two-thirds of global emissions, while groups like governments and the international transport industry account for the rest.
Negotiators from 196 countries arrived in Paris on Monday for UN climate talks aimed at limiting future global warming to below 2 C.
“We need to take immediate action to curb emissions and to invest in climate adaptation to close the inequality gap,” Julie Delahanty, Oxfam Canada’s executive director, said. “Every country needs to do more, but rich countries like Canada should take bold action and lead the way.”
One hurdle facing leaders is the question of fairness and whether developing countries should bear the burden of the cost of reducing carbon emissions, despite rich countries historically being the largest emitters.
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Matthew Hoffmann, professor of political science at the University of Toronto Scarborough, says this issue of “historical climate change vs current and future responsibility” has been a sticking point for the last 25 years.
“Countries in the developing world absolutely have a point that they are facing the effects first of a problem that they didn’t really have as much of a hand in causing,” Hoffman told Global News in a phone interview from Paris. “The rebuttal is now most of the rising emissions are now coming out of the developing world.”
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The Paris talks opened with announcements from heads of government and figures such as Bill Gates, who have promised billions to help the developing world transition away from fossil fuels. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced ahead of the summit that Canada would make a five-year, $2.65-billion contribution to help developing countries tackle climate change.
Hoffman said the problem of the world’s richest 10 per cent as the largest emitters of carbon transcends the divide between “north and south or developed and developing.”
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