The wealthiest individuals produce vastly disproportionate pollution, with an individual in the top tier contributing nearly 400 times more to modern extreme heatwaves than someone in humanity's poorest half. Meanwhile, lower-income nations account for just eight percent of emissions yet bear the brunt of lethal floods, fires, and potential displacement of up to one billion people by 2050. At the same time, corporations and investment giants are turning these crises into lucrative business ventures. Oxfam is calling on global leaders to halt corporate disaster profiteering and force wealthy polluters to finance the damage they cause.
Key points
Low- and lower-middle-income nations suffer the worst climate impacts despite producing o…: Low- and lower-middle-income nations suffer the worst climate impacts despite producing only eight percent of global carbon emissions.
Up to one billion individuals, primarily situated across the Global South, face displacem…: Up to one billion individuals, primarily situated across the Global South, face displacement from climate catastrophes by mid-century.
The global market for disaster preparedness, recovery, and reconstruction is expected to…: The global market for disaster preparedness, recovery, and reconstruction is expected to reach $92 billion annually by 2029.
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- Person in the richest 0.1 percent has contributed nearly 400 times more to extreme heatwaves than someone in the poorest half of humanity.
- Oxfam’s research shows that while the super-rich are responsible for a disproportionate share of carbon pollution, it is ordinary people who bear the brunt of the resulting floods, fires and famine.
- Oxfam’s new “Destroy & Rebuild Index” exposes how super-rich investors backing fossil fuels and other high-polluting industries are also profiting from disaster preparedness and clean-up.
- Oxfam urges governments to make rich polluters pay and end climate profiteering.
The world’s richest 0.1 percent (8 million people) produces more carbon pollution than the world’s poorest 3.5 billion people combined, reveals new Oxfam analysis. Published ahead of the UN climate summit (COP31) in Türkiye, the report exposes how the world's super-rich are driving climate breakdown through their outsized emissions, while shielding themselves from the consequences and, increasingly, profiting from the destruction.
A person in the richest 0.1 percent has contributed nearly 400 times more to today’s extreme heatwaves than someone in the poorest 50 percent.…
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