In a single day, a person belonging to the richest 0.1% of the planet emits a greater quantity of CO2 (carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere than that generated in an entire year by the poorest 50% of the world’s population. To summarize: a billionaire pollutes much more in one day than the poorest half of humanity pollutes in a year. It is a figure that alarmingly shows the abysmal, unacceptable disparity between the small elite of the super-rich and the poorest population on the planet not only from a socio-economic point of view – in terms of wealth – but also from the point of view of the impact on the environment and the climate.
To reveal it is Climate inequality report, the new report drawn up by the NGO Oxfam in view of Cop30, the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, which takes place from 10 to 21 November in Belém, Brazil, in the State of Pará, in the heart of the Amazon Forest. A highly symbolic place to discuss environmental policies, because the Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest in the world – spanning nine Latin American countries -, the “green lung”, guardian of biodiversity, which affects the climate of the entire planet, but which is suffering the devastating consequences of climate change and deforestation.
“The climate crisis is closely connected to the worsening of global inequalities and worsens its scope,” he underlines Francesco Petrelli, spokesperson for Oxfam Italia. “The world’s richest individuals finance and profit from this crisis, while the rest of the world’s population pays the price.” The Oxfam dossier reports how a small group of billionaires is using their economic and political influence to maintain dependence on fossil fuels (i.e. non-renewable energy sources, such as oil, coal and natural gas), thus maximizing their profits. The super-rich emit an enormous amount of carbon dioxide both because of their lifestyle, such as the excessive use of yachts and private jets, and because of investments in the most polluting economic activities, from which they profit. Almost 60% of billionaires’ investments around the world are in fact made in sectors that have an extremely heavy impact on the climate, such as oil and mining.
The report reveals a sensational fact: the emissions from the investments of just 308 billionaires are so enormous that they exceed those generated by 118 countries all together. With its dossier, Oxfam warns: the super-rich are trying to control and undermine climate negotiations. «Currently climate policies are increasingly conditioned by the protection of private interests and by an economy that looks to the past, based on fossil extractivism, to the detriment of the common good”, adds Petrelli. “For some time, polluting companies and the super-rich who control them have been carrying out disinformation campaigns on the climate crisis and lawsuits against NGOs and governments that try to oppose it.” And an appeal, in view of the Conference in Brazil: «To limit this powerdecisive action is needed at COP30 which leads to taxing large polluters more, to banning lobbying activities in favor of fossil fuels, giving voice and space in the decision-making process to the countries that are most affected by the climate crisis, despite being the least responsible for it”.
Another aspect highlighted by Oxfam is that the climate crisis does not affect men and women equally. Gender inequality also manifests itself in the climate. And this is also felt in Italy. In our cities, he explains Angela Pinna of Oxfam Italia, «mortality linked to rising temperatures and increasingly strong and frequent heat waves is much higher for women, who today represent 4 out of 5 climate migrants in the world and are 14 times more likely to become victims of natural disasters». It is important to raise awareness of the impact of the climate crisis on women and girls, including in our country.
This is why Oxfam launched the campaign Climate justice is gender justice (Climate justice is gender justice) which, until the start of COP30, involves hundreds of young people in Tuscany (where Oxfam Italia is based) in various initiatives. On November 15th the Tuscan activists will participate in the Climate pride of Rome, the climate demonstration that takes place simultaneously in many European countries.
(Ansa photo: Heads of State and Government of the various countries at Cop30 in Brazil)
