In Order to Truly Take on Climate Change, World’s Rich Must Cut Their Carbon Footprint 97%, UN Says

A recent United Nations report says the so-called emissions gap is at its highest and that the world’s wealthiest are the most to blame. The world’s richest need to stave off 97% of of their carbon emissions, according to the United Nations.

The emissions gap calculated by evaluating the difference between where we are likely to be and where we need ot be on climate policy, according to experts. CBS News reports that “10% of the world's population emits nearly half of the world's carbon pollution. The top 1% of income earners around the world, a group that includes 70 million people, account for 15% of emissions — more than the 3.5 billion people in the bottom 50%.”

The UN says that when it comes to cutting their emissions in the fight against climate change, "The richest 1% would need to reduce their current emissions by at least a factor of 30, while per capita emissions of the poorest 50% could increase by around three times their current levels on average.” CBS News says that “translates into a reduction of 97% in carbon emissions for the wealthiest people.”

The reason why the burden to cut down falls on the wealthiest people is because they purchase and consume more goods, CBS News reported. They tend to have larger homes and larger cars, which require more energy to operate.

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