Richest 10% Produce 50% of World Carbon Emissions, Must Bear Responsibility

The world’s richest 10 percent are responsible for approximately half of all carbon emissions, according to Oxfam, an international charitable group.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The world’s richest 10 percent produce about half of all global carbon emissions, whereas the poorest half of the world’s population is accountable for some 10 percent, despite those poorer economies being the most vulnerable to the affects of climate change, the charitable organization Oxfam said Wednesday.

"The poorest half of the world’s population — 3.5 billion people — is responsible for just 10 percent of carbon emissions, despite being the most threatened by the catastrophic storms, droughts, and other severe weather shocks linked to climate change <…> the world’s richest 10 percent produce around half of all emissions," the Oxfam report "Extreme Carbon Inequality" said.

The report was released during the ongoing climate talks in Paris, and points to the need to dispel a persistent myth that climate change is primarily caused by developing countries.

Oxfam states that although emissions in developing countries were rising faster, much of those emissions are a result of increased production of goods intended for export to wealthier states. High emitters must be held accountable for emissions they engender, irrespective of where those emissions are generated, according to the report.

Oxfam’s head of food and climate policy, Tim Gore, stated in the report that there is a link between climate change and economic inequality, and asked Paris negotiators to focus on developing countries.

"Paris must be the start of building a more human economy for all – not just for the ‘haves,’ the richest and highest emitters, but also the ‘have-nots,’ the poorest people who are the least responsible for and the most vulnerable to climate change," Gore said.

The ongoing Paris climate talks are due to run until December 11. Delegates from 195 countries are expected to sign a legally binding agreement on how to address climate change, including ways to curb greenhouse gas emissions.