The personal carbon footprint of the rich

The personal carbon footprint of the richest people in society is grossly underestimated, both by the rich themselves and by middle and lower income people, regardless of which country they come from. At the same time, the rich and the poor drastically overestimate the carbon footprint of the poorest people.

An international team of researchers led by Copenhagen Business School, the University of Basel and the University of Cambridge surveyed 4,000 people from Denmark, India, Nigeria and the United States about inequality in personal carbon footprints – the total amount of greenhouse gases produced. activities of a person - within their own country.

Although it is well known that there is a large gap between the carbon footprint of the richest and poorest in society, it was not clear whether individuals were aware of this inequality. All four countries selected for the survey differ in terms of wealth, lifestyle and culture. Survey participants also varied in their personal incomes, with half of the participants being among the top 10 % earners in their country. (University of Cambridge, more at phys.org)