The Great (Economic) Divide
81 billionaires have as much wealth as the poorest half of the world [1]. Globally, the richest 1% emit as much carbon as the poorest two-thirds of humanity, whilst simultaneously being the best able to protect themselves from the consequences of global warming [2].
superyacht

"...Those who have done the least to cause the climate crisis are the ones who are suffering the most."

References:

[1] 'Survival of the Richest' (Accessed on 20th November, 2023) https://www.oxfam.org/en/research/survival-richest
[2] 'Climate Equality: A planet for the 99%' (Accessed on 20th November, 2023) https://webassets.oxfamamerica.org/media/documents/cr-climat . . .
45%
Food prices began to increase in mid-2021. Blame has been pointed at the war in Ukraine, supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic, food product shortages, difficulties in restocking. These could result in retailers passing costs on to consumers. [1]. There is no mention of price gouging. However, in 2020-2021, food and agriculture billionaires raised their collective wealth by 45%! [2]. Think about that.

References:

[1] 'Food Inflation in the U.S. and Abroad' (Accessed on 21st November, 2023) https://econofact.org/food-inflation-in-the-u-s-and-abroad
[2] 'Climate Equality: A planet for the 99%' (Accessed on 20th November, 2023) https://webassets.oxfamamerica.org/media/documents/cr-climat . . .
7.6oC 13.7oF
There is an average temperature difference of
7.6oC 13.7oF
between formal and informal housing, notably pavement dwelling, in India [1].
mumbai formal and slum housing
The area surrounding the Bandra Kurla complex in Mumbai.
  • Cities are typically several degrees warmer than rural areas, and areas within cities without much green space are hotter still. In the US, people of color tend to reside in hotter neighbourhoods than Whites. By as much as
    7oC 12.6oF
    [2].
  • A study of 25 cities to investigate the relationship between urban heat islands (UHI) and income found that in only four of the 25 (Atlanta, Barcelona, Johannesburg and Sao Paulo) is daytime or nighttime UHI distributed more equally than income. For the remaining 21 cities, poorer neighbourhoods experienced higher heat exposure [3].

References:

[1] 'Climate Change, Heat Waves and Thermal Comfort—Reflections on Housing Policy in India' (Accessed on 21st November, 2023) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/097542532090624 . . .
[2] 'Disproportionately higher exposure to urban heat in lower-income neighborhoods: a multi-city perspective' (Accessed on 21st November, 2023) https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab3b99
[3] 'The Effects of Historical Housing Policies on Resident Exposure to Intra-Urban Heat: A Study of 108 US Urban Areas' (Accessed on 21st November, 2023) https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/8/1/12
2640
There are 2640 billionaires, worth a total of $12.2 trillion, on the 2023 Forbes list [1].

Reference:

[1] 'The World's Billionaires' (Accessed on 21st November, 2023) https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2023/04/04/forbes- . . .
3,834
A dozen of the world’s richest billionaires are responsible for nearly 17 million tonnes of greenhouse emissions [1]. Using the 'mortality cost of carbon,' at 4,434 metric tons of CO2 per death [2], 17 million tons of emissions cause 3,834 deaths. Annually.

References:

[1] 'Twelve billionaires’ climate emissions outpollute 2.1m homes, analysis finds' (Accessed on 22nd November, 2023) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/20/twelve-b . . .
[2] 'The mortality cost of carbon' (Accessed on 22nd November, 2023) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34326326/
7,000 tons
A superyacht, kept on permanent standby, generates about 7,000 tons of CO2 each year [1]. Jeff Bezos' new yacht, the largest sailing vessel in the world and a bargain at €500 million, will have emissions in excess of that. At a minimum, these annual emissions are equal to the lifetime emissions of 231 Nigerians [2].
  • These yachts, however, will enable the ultra wealthy to avoid of the worst of climate change and any unrest or societal breakdown arising from it.

References:

[1] 'Twelve billionaires’ climate emissions outpollute 2.1m homes, analysis finds' (Accessed on 22nd November, 2023) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/20/twelve-b . . .
[2] 'The mortality cost of carbon' (Accessed on 22nd November, 2023) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24487-w
1 million
Annual global emissions by the super-rice 1% cancel out the carbon savings from almost one million onshore wind turbines. [1].

Reference:

[1] 'Climate Equality: A planet for the 99%' (Accessed on 20th November, 2023) https://webassets.oxfamamerica.org/media/documents/cr-climat . . .
1.3 million
The emissions of the top 1%, in 2019, are enough to cause 1.3 million heat-related deaths [1].
  • The majority of these deaths will (or did) occur between 2020 and 2030.
  • “The super-rich are plundering and polluting the planet to the point of destruction, leaving humanity choking on extreme heat, floods and drought,” said Oxfam International interim Executive Director Amitabh Behar.“For years we’ve fought to end the era of fossil fuels to save millions of lives and our planet. It’s clearer than ever this will be impossible until we, too, end the era of extreme wealth.”

Reference:

[1] 'Richest 1% emit as much planet-heating pollution as two-thirds of humanity' (Accessed on 20th November, 2023) https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/richest-1-emit-much- . . .
$93 million
Members of the US congress own an estimated $93 million in fossil fuel industry stocks [1]. The 11 largest economies in the Global North provided the equivalent of US$1.8 trillion in direct and indirect (those relating to environmental costs) fossil fuel subsidies [2], or $5.9 trillion globally, in 2020 [3].

References:

[1] 'Members of Congress Own Up to $93 Million in Fossil Fuel Stocks' (Accessed on 20th November, 2023) https://prospect.org/power/members-of-congress-own-up-to-93- . . .
[2] 'Climatge Equality: A planet for the 99%' (Accessed on 20th November, 2023) https://webassets.oxfamamerica.org/media/documents/cr-climat . . .
[3] 'Still Not Getting Energy Prices Right: A Global and Country Update of Fossil Fuel Subsidies' (Accessed on 20th November, 2023) https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2021/09/23/Sti . . .
$120 million
Jezz Bezos announces (21st November, 2023) that he has donated almost $120 million dollars to help US families experiencing homelessness [1].
jeff bezos
“It’s a privilege to support these orgs in their inspiring mission to help families regain stability,” writes Bezos.
  • The average salary for an Amazon warehouse worker is $16.73/hour [2], 18% less than the $20.40 wage required for an average one-bedroom rental [3].

References:

[1] 'Jeff Bezos Announces He’s Donated Nearly $120 Million To Help Families Experiencing Homelessness' (Accessed on 21st November, 2023) https://www.forbes.com/sites/phoebeliu/2023/11/21/jeff-bezos . . .
[2] 'Amazon.com salaries: How much does Amazon.com pay?' (Accessed on 21st November, 2023) https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Amazon.com/salaries
[3] 'Out of Reach' (Accessed on 21st November, 2023) https://nlihc.org/oor
393 million
The investments of 125 billionaires emit 393 million tons of CO2 each year. As much as the whole of France. [1].

Reference:

[1] 'Richest 1% emit as much planet-heating pollution as two-thirds of humanity' (Accessed on 20th November, 2023) https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/richest-1-emit-much- . . .
2.3 billion
675 million people do not have access to electricity, and up to 2.3 billion people still use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, largely in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, causing 3.2 million deaths annually [1].

Reference:

[1] 'Climate Equality: A planet for the 99%' (Accessed on 21st November, 2023) https://webassets.oxfamamerica.org/media/documents/cr-climat . . .
1 trillion
722 of the world's biggest corporations have raked in over $1 trillion dollars for each of the two years 2022 and 2023. Share buybacks (increasing the value of shares owned by the top few percent) or dividend payouts (to shareholders) effectively transfer wealth from everyone to the top few percent who own shares [1].
  • Of this 722 corporations, 45 energy corporations collected $237 billion each year in 2022 and 2023.

Reference:

[1] 'Climate Equality: A planet for the 99%' (Accessed on 21st November, 2023) https://webassets.oxfamamerica.org/media/documents/cr-climat . . .