Rules for thee, but not for me!

The richest one percent of the global population are responsible for the same amount of carbon emissions as the world’s poorest two-thirds, or five billion people, according to an analysis published Sunday by the nonprofit Oxfam International.

While fighting the climate crisis is a shared challenge, not everyone is equally responsible and government policies must be tailored accordingly, Max Lawson, who co-authored the report, told AFP.

“The richer you are, the easier it is to cut both your personal and your investment emissions,” he said. “You don’t need that third car, or that fourth holiday, or you don’t need to be invested in the cement industry.”

The untold amount of luxuries wealthy, liberal individuals (like John Kerry, Emma Thompson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Al Gore) own that rely on fossil fuels (such as private jets, private boats, massive mansions, and untold amounts of cars) are in reality emitting the most carbon emissions while preaching to the rest of us to reduce our carbon footprint.

Very timely that this report is released since the COP28 will take place in Dubai on November 30th and last until December 12th. According to AFP, the study also points out that that the world’s riches individuals — 77 million people — were responsible for 16 percent of global emissions when it came to their consumption.

The income threshold for being among the global top one percent was adjusted by country using purchasing power parity — for example in the United States the threshold would be $140,000, whereas the Kenyan equivalent would be about $40,000.

Within country analyses also painted very stark pictures.

For example, in France, the richest one percent emit as much carbon in one year as the poorest 50 percent in 10 years.

Excluding the carbon associated with his investments, Bernard Arnault, the billionaire founder of Louis Vuitton and richest man in France, has a footprint 1,270 times greater than that of the average Frenchman.

At least 70,000 people are expected to attend the COP28 conference and that means just about all of them will travel to Dubai in the U.A.E., a major oil and gas producing country, using jet aircraft, ship or some method of transportation that relies on fossil fuels.

It is not unreasonable to demand of wealthy, global elites to lead by example, before demanding everyone else do the same. Until then, anyone who preaches from an ivory tower expecting others to do as they so and not as they do should not be taken seriously. They have little to lose for the consequences of their actions, especially when they’re wrong.

PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay