Wealthy Individuals Hold Unique Power to Influence Climate Change Through Their Decisions
Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk release over 10 times the carbon pollution in just 90 minutes that the average individual emits throughout their entire lifetime, as per a recent study published by Oxfam International, a UK-based organization combating poverty.
The investigation, initially reported by The Register, evaluated the carbon emissions of the luxury jet trips, superyachts, and investing activities of the world's 50 wealthiest billionaires, contrasting them with the rest of the population's carbon footprint. Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International's executive director, mentioned in a press release about the study that "half of the world's emissions come from the richest 10%. The wealthiest 1% by income account for 16% of emissions, which surpasses the emissions produced by the poorest two-thirds of the global population."
On average, billionaires travel by private jet 184 times annually and spend approximately 425 hours in the air. According to Oxfam, this contributes to carbon emissions equivalent to those produced by the average person over a 300-year period. Yachts worsen the situation.
Oxfam identified 23 superyachts owned by 18 billionaires and estimated the yearly average carbon footprint for each of these yachts to be 5,672 tonnes. This is triple the carbon emissions generated by their private jets and amounts to 860 times the average person's life-time carbon emissions, along with 5,600 times the carbon emissions of someone living in the global poorest 50%.
The report highlighted the Walton family from Walmart fame as one of the significant carbon emitters. The Walton heirs own three superyachts, traveling 56,000 nautical miles annually, resulting in a combined carbon footprint of 18,000 tonnes. This level of carbon emissions is approximately equivalent to those produced by 1,700 Walmart employees over their lifetimes, as mentioned in Oxfam's report.
According to the report, Elon Musk possesses at least two private jets with a combined yearly carbon emissions of 5,497 tonnes of CO2. Jeff Bezos owns two private jets responsible for about 2,908 tonnes of CO2 emissions within approximately 25 days of flying. The report estimated that an average US Amazon employee would require 207 years to produce the same amount of carbon emissions.
In an effort to combat climate change, people are often encouraged to make personal consumer choices, such as using public transportation, bikes, or avoiding flights for commute. Although it positively impacts your body and the planet, it only makes a minor dent in global carbon emissions. The carbon output of developing countries, like China and India, is far beyond what an individual can offset by reducing their air travel.
However, for billionaires like Musk and Bezos, cutting back on air travel can considerably reduce carbon emissions. They can eliminate massive amounts of carbon emissions by simply refraining from flying or reducing their flying frequency. They even own companies, like SpaceX and Blue Origin, focused on space exploration, and their rocket launches contribute to substantial carbon emissions.
Musk and Bezos are aware of climate issues. Musk invested in Tesla due to his concerns regarding gas-powered cars as contributors to global warming. Bezos has a charity that allocates billions for research on food inequality and climate change. Nevertheless, they have also invested heavily in SpaceX and Blue Origin with the goal of departing the planet. While their rocket launches are crucial to their space missions, they release thousands of tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. The non-affluent will be left to address these issues their wealth has exacerbated.
If you're willing to exchange your future for a chance to win in the off-world colonies, as Musk proposes, you may have an opportunity to join him there.
The use of technology and advancements in companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, owned by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos respectively, have the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the future if focused on sustainable space travel. However, the carbon emissions from their rocket launches currently contribute significantly to the carbon footprint of these billionaires, which is significantly higher than that of the average individual.
