dohboi wrote:OK, last graph (for now ) :
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environm ... ate-change
Kinda says it all!
I don't know how this graph derived these figures but I think they are pretty accurate. What is missing on this graph is to show the actual numbers of humans belonging to those percentages. Doing this puts these percentages into perspective and you start to get a clearer picture of which socio economic group belongs in these percentages.
10% = 750 Million people (50% of all emissions)
40% = 3 Billion people (41% of all emissions)
50% = 3.7 Billion people (9% of all emissions)
That upper 10% is made up of 750 million people. This includes that 1% uber rich but also includes even some of us here at po.com. These are the upper middle class that are found in North America, Europe and in emerging BRIC nations. A lot of tourists coming to Mount Totumas are in this group. Plantagent going to climate change conferences is in this group. Folks who have enough income to do leisure high consumption.
The 40% that consume 41% of all emissions are made up of your middle and lower middle class humans. This is 3 billion people. Most are actually in BRIC nations and of course also your lower middle class in developing countries. Many own small cars, many are increasingly flying because discount airlines in developing countries offer flights for under $75 which this socio economic group can afford.
So this upper 49% made up of 3.75 billion humans are consuming 91% of all emissions.
That makes sense and also to a degree confirms something I have often stated here that in aggregate the middle class are the most egregious consumers on the planet.
That bottom 50%, 3.7 billion, only consuming 9% of all emissions do not fly in airplanes and are aspiring perhaps to own one day a small motorized scooter. From this group though there is also a significant percentage who are aspiring and will rise to that upper 91% of consumers.
Something has to give here to reverse the trend, to lower consumption. In all honesty, top down carbon tax and willful legislation coming out of the wealthiest countries will perhaps slow down a teeny tiny bit this mega trend of rising consumption.
The real target has to be reducing the wealth and access to consumption by the 91% on that graph, weakening the juggernaut of Kudzu Apes with environmental feedbacks, stopping the migration from the 50% at the bottom over to high consumption lifestyles by consequences of human overshoot doing their necessary work. Sometime during this century those consequences are going to start offering up some real time solutions. If some enlightened climate change accords with binding agreements can also be enacted then all the better. We may see some swift reductions in emissions happening from the bottom up due to environmental feedbacks and from the top down legislating and reining in the consumption of those 10% - 49% at the top.