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People are disgusted after discovering just how much pollution billionaires emit every 90 minutes.
A new study has unveiled the amount of pollution being created by the world’s richest people - and it’s pretty shocking.
The report by Oxfam, which is titled Carbon Inequality Kills, tracked the emissions emitted from yachts, private jets and polluting investments to find out more.
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It turns out that 50 of the world’s wealthiest people are producing more carbon in an hour and a half than the average person will emit in their entire lifetime.
The report also revealed that if the world continues with the current rate of pollution emissions, then our planet’s carbon budget will be gone in the next four years.
As a result, temperatures will begin to rise.
What’s even more frightening - if everyone on Earth started emitting the same amount of pollution as the average billionaire does, the study says that our carbon budget would disappear in just two days.
Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar said: “The super-rich are treating our planet like their personal playground, setting it ablaze for pleasure and profit.
“Their dirty investments and luxury toys —private jets and yachts— aren’t just symbols of excess; they’re a direct threat to people and the planet.
“Oxfam’s research makes it painfully clear: the extreme emissions of the richest, from their luxury lifestyles and even more from their polluting investments, are fueling inequality, hunger and —make no mistake— threatening lives.
“It’s not just unfair that their reckless pollution and unbridled greed is fueling the very crisis threatening our collective future —it’s lethal.”
According to the study, on average billionaires take 184 flights a year and make investments in highly polluting industries.
People were horrified to discover these statistics, with many taking to social media to share their thoughts.
On Reddit, one user wrote: “Weird. It’s almost like billionaires are some kind of ultra-privileged class or something.”
Another said: “I have a neighbor who flies his helicopter to his ranch that is about half an hour away,driving. I sort of decided to give up recycling after seeing that.”
A third person commented: “Not surprising at all. One of those megayachts uses more fuel than a small city of cars.”
A fourth said: “I was told drinking out of a paper straw is going to save the planet.”
And a fifth user added: “It’s crazy how most billionaires talk about carbon pollution but they cause the most damage.”
