The richest 1% of people are responsible for as much carbon output as the poorest 66%, according to research from Oxfam. Luxury lifestyles including frequent flying, driving large cars, owning many houses, and a rich diet, are among the reasons for the huge imbalance. 

It is simply impossible to have a polluting elite and a livable climate, Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment, tells The Guardian. “Carbon inequality is effectively a colonisation of the atmosphere by the capitalist elite of the planet through hyper-consumption and pollution, while the cost of that climate coloniality is borne disproportionately by the marginalised and vulnerable communities in developing countries.”

Sultana was also quoted in the BBC News Brasil article, “Climate Change: 5 Myths Debunked by Science.” 

"Climate change is a global problem, but with unequal impacts," says Sultana. "It disproportionately affects frontline communities in developing countries that have contributed the least to creating the problem."