The richest 10 percent of U.S. households are responsible for 40 percent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study released Thursday in PLOS Climate. The study, which looked at how a household's income generated emissions, underlines the stark divide between those who benefit most from fossil fuels and those who are most burdened by its effects.
People often think of their carbon footprint in terms of consumption, such as how they get to work or what they eat, but that provides an incomplete view of who is responsible for a lot of greenhouse gas activity, said Jared Starr, lead author of the study.
Many of the ways people earn money are also linked to carbon pollution, including from how and where they earn their wages to where they invest parts of their income. These investments, especially if linked with fossil fuel-related industries, can seriously tip who is most responsible for the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, said Starr.
“It just seems morally and politically problematic to have one group of people reaping so much benefit from emissions while the poorer groups in society are asked to disproportionately deal with the harms of those emissions,” Starr, a sustainability scientist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, said. Previous research has shown that extreme weather events made worse because of climate change, from flooding to hurricanes, often have a greater effect on lower-income communities.
Starr and his colleagues analyzed income data across U.S. households from 1990 to 2019 and linked it to emissions generated directly and indirectly from that income. They included income tied to emissions related to the operation of a business, such as from a coal-fired power plant. But they also included income, such as from investments, that supported services or products from those industries.
“As you move up the income ladder, an increasing share of emissions is associated with investments,” said Starr.
moar
This is correct. You have much lower emissions living in a grass hut. Even less if you’re dead and if Bill Gates has his way YOU are the carbon that he wishes to reduce.
Come to that how much emissions are the liberals that shut down the nuclear industry 45 years ago responsible for? How much zero emissions prosperity could we have had?
Blah.....I guess there was not as much grift to be had with nuclear.....They knew way back then that "climate change" would be what shits the golden grift eggs....They were correct about that too.
People often think of their carbon footprint in terms of consumption, such as how they get to work or what they eat, but that provides an incomplete view of who is responsible for a lot of greenhouse gas activity, said Jared Starr, lead author of the study.
Many of the ways people earn money are also linked to carbon pollution, including from how and where they earn their wages to where they invest parts of their income. These investments, especially if linked with fossil fuel-related industries, can seriously tip who is most responsible for the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, said Starr.
“It just seems morally and politically problematic to have one group of people reaping so much benefit from emissions while the poorer groups in society are asked to disproportionately deal with the harms of those emissions,” Starr, a sustainability scientist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, said. Previous research has shown that extreme weather events made worse because of climate change, from flooding to hurricanes, often have a greater effect on lower-income communities.
Starr and his colleagues analyzed income data across U.S. households from 1990 to 2019 and linked it to emissions generated directly and indirectly from that income. They included income tied to emissions related to the operation of a business, such as from a coal-fired power plant. But they also included income, such as from investments, that supported services or products from those industries.
“As you move up the income ladder, an increasing share of emissions is associated with investments,” said Starr.
moar
This is correct. You have much lower emissions living in a grass hut. Even less if you’re dead and if Bill Gates has his way YOU are the carbon that he wishes to reduce.
Come to that how much emissions are the liberals that shut down the nuclear industry 45 years ago responsible for? How much zero emissions prosperity could we have had?
Blah.....I guess there was not as much grift to be had with nuclear.....They knew way back then that "climate change" would be what shits the golden grift eggs....They were correct about that too.
