Survey Highlights Easy Ride For The Richest On Carbon Emissions

The global greenhouse gas emissions averaged 6.7 metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) per person in 2023. Reducing individual carbon footprints has become a central focus of sustainable development, particularly with the growing shift toward renewable energy. The push to cut emissions at the source has also introduced mechanisms like carbon markets, aimed at distributing responsibility for climate action. However, while these efforts are vital, they are often unequal. Wealthier individuals’ carbon footprints are frequently underestimated, while those of less privileged groups are overestimated, leading to policy measures that sometimes miss the mark in addressing the real sources of emissions.

A Case for Carbon Footprint Inequality

An international consortium of researchers from Copenhagen Business School, the University of Basel, and the University of Cambridge conducted a survey involving 4,000 participants from several countries on inequality in personal carbon footprints. Their analysis highlights a stark reality.

To measure perceptions of carbon footprint inequality, participants were asked to estimate the average personal carbon footprints specific to three income groups (the bottom 50%, the top 10%, and the top 1%) within their country.
To avoid limiting the study to a narrow group and culture, the survey included participants from four countries—Denmark, India, Nigeria, and the United States—diverse in terms of wealth, lifestyle, and culture. Furthermore, the participants varied in income, with half belonging to the top 10% of income in their country.

What Did the Study Find?

The study revealed that most participants across all four countries overestimated the average carbon footprint of the poorest 50% while underestimating that of the richest 10% and 1%. The carbon footprint of the wealthiest individuals is significantly underestimated by both the rich and those on middle and lower incomes, regardless of country. Meanwhile, both the rich and poor greatly overestimated the carbon footprint of the poorest. Of the participants, 93% had a positive index score, showing they underestimated the inequality in carbon footprints.

Interestingly, the largest differences in relative estimations were observed in India, where the vast majority of participants overestimated the carbon footprint of the bottom 50% and underestimated those of the top 10% and top 1%.

However, these underestimations of carbon footprint inequality are apparent across socioeconomic groups and thus unlikely to reflect motivated perceptions. A motivated-reasoning account would predict larger underestimations in segments with larger personal carbon footprints, such as the top 10% income group in this study.

Country-Specific Perceptions

The largest absolute underestimations of personal carbon footprints for the top 10% and top 1% income groups were in Denmark and the USA. This may be due to the substantially higher absolute footprints of these income groups compared with their country averages. On the other hand, India shows large differences in relative estimations.

Climate Policy Support Differs Too

The perspectives of different economic strata also varied, possibly reflecting higher education levels among high earners, a greater ability to absorb price-based policies, or a stronger preference for technological solutions to the climate crisis. Most participants from the top 10% were more likely to support certain climate policies, such as increasing electricity prices during peak periods, taxing red meat consumption, or subsidizing carbon dioxide removal technologies like carbon capture and storage. In contrast, participants from the general population showed stronger support for expanding public transport.

This is concerning, as the more people underestimate carbon footprint inequality, the less they support climate policies. The study confirmed this, reporting a negative relationship between the perception of carbon footprint inequality and support for 12 climate policies. Participants who underestimated inequality tended to show less support for these policies. Country-specific analyses indicated that this effect was largely driven by participants from Denmark and Nigeria.

Higher-income groups generally supported climate policies more than low-income groups, who are more vulnerable to climate change. Participants from the top 10% of income reported stronger support for climate policies, on average. This was most evident in countries like India, where higher-income individuals had greater access to information and showed more interest in policy. Notably, education levels in India were positively linked to various pro-environmental behaviours.

Inequality Persists on a Larger Scale

When India surpassed the European Union in total annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2019, becoming the third-largest emitter after China and the United States, this statistic only revealed part of the picture. With a population nearly three times larger than the EU, India ranks much lower in emissions per person.

This is just one way to assess country responsibilities for climate change. Other dimensions, such as a country’s vulnerability or capacity to act, also matter. When focusing on emissions, it’s crucial to consider population size and historical contributions, making per capita emissions a valuable perspective.

Need for Awareness

The study reaffirmed findings already well-known within the research community. A 2021 Oxfam International report highlighted that by 2030, the carbon footprint of the richest 1% is projected to be 30 times higher than the level needed to meet the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement. In contrast, the poorest half of the global population will emit well below this target, while the richest 10% and 1% will exceed it by nine and 30 times, respectively. To meet the Paris goals, individuals in the richest 1% would need to cut their emissions by around 90%. However, this inequality is not widely recognized by the general public. 

The lack of awareness underscores the need to raise public understanding of carbon footprint inequality, fostering discussions on fairness and integrating social justice into climate policy. This approach aligns with India’s strategy of balancing emission reductions with economic growth. Greater awareness of these disparities can guide policy efforts, ensuring that low-emitting groups are not disproportionately burdened while placing greater responsibility on higher emitters to reduce their carbon emissions.

Quite simply it also drives home the point that that rather than the popular perception that ‘everyone’ needs to work at reducing emissions, a concerted effort by just the top1% could make a bigger impact in the short to medium term than disrupting lives for the poorest in the name of reducing their carbon footprint further.