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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Highly unequal carbon footprints

Nature Sustainability volume 5, pages 912–913 (2022)Cite this article

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Greenhouse gas emissions can be traced to the behaviour of individuals. Now, research quantifies carbon footprints worldwide, showing that the richest ten per cent are responsible for nearly half of all emissions.

All humans contribute to climate change. Net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reached an equivalent of 7.8 tons of carbon dioxide (tCO2e) per person in 2019 (ref. 1). To limit global warming to 2 °C, emissions have to fall by more than 60% by 2050. But not all humans contribute equally. Emissions in North America are more than twice the global average, at 19 tCO2e per person, while emissions in Africa are around half the global average, at 4 tCO2e per person1. These figures hide large differences within regions. Knowing who is responsible for GHG emissions can inform targeted climate policy and tell us who bears the cost of emissions cuts. Now, writing in Nature Sustainability, Lucas Chancel2 quantifies carbon footprints worldwide, finding high and persistent inequality.

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Fig. 1: Luxury mansion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

Solarysys / Alamy Stock Photo.

References

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  1. McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA

    Lutz Sager

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  1. Lutz Sager
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Correspondence to Lutz Sager.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Sager, L. Highly unequal carbon footprints. Nat Sustain 5, 912–913 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00939-z

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