Climate Change and the Global Inequality of Carbon Emissions 1990-2020
January 24, 2023
Summary
- This study provides novel findings on carbon emissions of individuals, based on a newly assembled set of economic inequality and environmental data available on the World Inequality Database (www.wid.world).
- Global emissions of greenhouse gases reached 50 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2) in 2019, i.e. around 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per capita. In 2021, global emissions have almost recovered their pre-pandemic peak.
- At the global level, the top 10% of global emitters (771 million individuals) create on average 31 tonnes of CO2 per person per year and are responsible for about 48% of global CO2 emissions. The bottom 50% (3.8 billion individuals) emit on average 1.6 tonnes and are responsible for around 12% of all emissions in 2019. The global top 1% emits on average 110 tonnes and contributes 17% of all emissions in a year.
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