America's richest 10% are responsible for 40% of its planet-heating pollution, new report finds
America's richest 10% are responsible for 40% of its planet-heating pollution, new report finds
America’s wealthiest people are also some of the world’s biggest polluters – not only because of their massive homes and private jets, but because of the fossil fuels generated by the companies they invest their money in.
America’s wealthiest people are also some of the world’s biggest polluters – not only because of their massive homes and private jets, but because of the fossil fuels generated by the companies they invest their money in.
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The picture they paint in this article, of the ultra rich with their private jets and yachts, does not align with the statistic presented in the title.
the wealthiest 10% in the US, households making more than about $178,000
I'm sure many of you know people in this group. Two adults each making 90k a year is enough to break into the 10%. And clearly they're not flying around in private jets.
That's true, but most of my social group fits into this definition and the majority fly commercial 6 - 12+ times a year, all around the globe, either for vacation or business travel. They almost all own personal vehicles, replaced every 5 - 10 years, well before the end of life of the vehicle. I live in Colorado and it's common for this class to own/rent a second home or condo in the mountains and take multi-hour drives to those places on the weekend. Those lifestyle choices produce massive amounts of CO2 relative to individuals who otherwise live generally identical lives.
It doesn't take extravagances like private jets to contribute outsized emissions.
Two adults each making 90k a year
Some of you aren't aware of the privilege they have.
I don't know what world you live in where you just know two adults making 90k a year each, let alone pass it off in the rest of your comment as "you know what, it ain't that much if you think about it".
Strong "WSJ article about the budget of your average 18 year old who makes 250k a year" vibes right there.
Nobody said the "it ain't much" part. What they said is that 180k isn't enough to be chartering private jets. It doesn't make you "ultra wealthy". Upper-middle class? Yes. But people making that are waaaaay closer to a line cook than to Jeff Bezos.
The guy I was responding to asbolutely implied that making nearly 200k a year wasn't that much. No matter how you slice it.
And yes, I know the point they were making was "well, it's pointing to more people than just ultra billionaires" but the point of seeing this statistic is not "hold on, I'm not a billionaire, why should I care about my consumerism", it should be "the system even I am living under might need to change for everyone and we need to rethink our consumerist attitudes".