The emissions divide: inequity across countries and income classes
This issue brief aims to highlight consumption-driven emissions inequities among income classes, both within and across nations. It examines a diverse range of developed and developing economies, accounting for approximately 81 per cent of global emissions, 86 per cent of the world's GDP, and 66 per cent of the global population. The analysis relies on per capita CO2 emissions data for various income groups from the World Inequality Database (WID), and income deciles from the Poverty and Inequality Platform, World Bank. Using these indicators, the study focuses on the stark inequities in consumption-driven emissions, especially among the affluent in developed countries, and estimates the potential carbon budget savings achievable through the adoption of low-carbon lifestyles by top emitters.
