‘Sacrificing us at the altar of their greed’: Richest 10% in EU emit more carbon than poorest 50%

The richest 10 per cent successful the EU are liable for arsenic overmuch c contamination arsenic the poorest 50 per cent, a caller study by Oxfam reveals.

“Their progressively luxurious lifestyles and escalating opulence are wreaking havoc connected our planet," says Oxfam EU taxation adept Chiara Putaturo. “Meanwhile mean radical are burdened with rising costs and the dire consequences of heatwaves, floods, and landslides caused by quality greed.”

These outsized emissions of Europe’s richest volition origin 67,800 heat-related excess deaths by 2100, the equivalent of astir 850 deaths each year.

Should Europe present a caller wealthiness tax?

The foundation is calling for a European wealth tax to rise astir €250 cardinal a twelvemonth which could beryllium utilized to trim contamination and inequality.

Through the European Green Deal the EU has acceptable retired ambitious clime targets, but question marks inactive stay implicit the financing of its implementation.

“We request a European wealthiness tax. Economists privation it, multi-millionaires privation it and radical privation it,” Putaturo says.

The study besides outlines the stark global inequalities fuelling the clime crisis.

The richest 1 per cent of the world’s population, which includes billionaires, millionaires and those making supra $140,000 (€128,172), produced arsenic overmuch c contamination successful 2019 arsenic the 5 cardinal radical who made up the poorest two-thirds of humanity.

It argues that we request “a extremist caller attack if we are to basal immoderate accidental astatine overcoming the catastrophe unfolding earlier us.”

Greta Thunberg slams the greed of affluent people

In a foreword to the caller study Swedish clime activistic Greta Thunberg condemns the richest 1 per cent for “sacrificing america astatine the altar of their greed.”

She continues: “The radical astir liable for the clime situation – chiefly white, privileged men – are besides the ones who person been fixed a starring relation successful getting america retired of it.

“How person we near the culprits successful complaint erstwhile determination is truthful overmuch astatine stake?”

How tin we code planetary inequalities?

Oxfam is calling connected governments to dramatically trim inequality by a planetary redistribution of income successful the signifier of a wealthiness tax.

It besides calls for a speedy and conscionable modulation distant from fossil fuels and a alteration successful mindset that prioritises the wellbeing of humans and the satellite implicit endless nett and consumption.