7 November 2022
Why wealthy polluters own the climate crisis—and what they owe the world.
The effects of climate change are all too visible in daily life. From heat waves in California and floods in Pakistan to water shortages in West Africa, extreme weather and rising temperatures are forcing people from their homes and worsening world hunger and famine.
But the climate crisis neither affects everyone equally—nor is everyone equally responsible. A new Oxfam research finds that just 125 billionaires emit on average one million times more carbon annually than someone in the bottom 90 percent of humanity.
“People who have contributed least to the climate crisis are right now suffering its worst impacts,” said Elizabeth Wathuti, a Kenyan climate activist.
At Oxfam, we’ve been holding wealthy polluters accountable for years. So we’re going to explain who is responsible for climate change—Big Oil, rich industrialized countries, and carbon billionaires—and what they owe the people and frontline communities that are paying the heaviest price for their actions.
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