The world’s wealthiest people are disproportionately responsible for climate change, according to new research highlighting their carbon-intensive lifestyles. A study by Stefan Gössling, a tourism professor at Linnaeus University in Sweden, examined the social media profiles of celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Oprah Winfrey to track their flying habits. Bill Gates, a prominent environmental advocate, took 59 flights in 2017, generating over 1,600 tonnes of greenhouse gases – equivalent to the annual emissions of 105 average Americans.
Flying is one of the most carbon-intensive activities, and the research coincides with a growing focus on personal accountability, spearheaded by Greta Thunberg. “The bigger your carbon footprint, the bigger your moral duty,” Thunberg wrote in 2019. The statistics are stark: the world’s wealthiest 10% were responsible for around half of global emissions in 2015, while the top 1% accounted for 15% – nearly double that of the poorest 50%, who contribute just 7% but suffer the worst climate impacts.
As the rich consume the remaining carbon budget needed to limit warming to 1.5°C, they crowd out the ability of poorer populations to meet basic needs. Dario Kenner, author of Carbon Inequality, coined the term “polluter elite” to describe those who invest heavily in fossil fuels and lead high-carbon lives. However, the problem extends beyond billionaires: an income of $38,000 (£27,500) places someone in the world’s richest 10%, and $109,000 (£79,000) in the top 1%.
In wealthy countries, average consumption remains dangerously high. The Hot or Cool Institute found that the average UK citizen emits 8.5 tonnes of carbon annually, while Canadians emit 14.2 tonnes – far above the 0.7 tonnes per person needed by 2050 to stay within 1.5°C. Addressing personal consumption is contentious, often framed as a choice between individual action and systemic change. But Lewis Akenji of the Hot or Cool Institute argues this is a false dichotomy: “Lifestyles don’t exist in a vacuum; they are shaped by context.”
