Global Carbon Inequality, 1990-2019: The Impact of Wealth Concentration on the Distribution of World Emissions

Abstract

Abstract This paper estimates the global inequality of individual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between 1990 and 2019, using a newly assembled dataset of income and wealth inequality and Environmental Input-Output tables. I find that the bottom half of the world population emits 12% of global emissions, while the top 10% emits 48% of the total. The global top 1% share in world emissions rose from 14% in 1990 to 17% in 2019. While two thirds of the inequality in individual emissions was due to inequalities between countries in 1990, the situation has entirely reversed: in 2019, 63% of the global inequality in individual emissions was due to gaps between low and high emitters within countries. Emissions from investments, rather than from consumption, represent the bulk of emissions of the rich: around 70% of global top 1% emissions come from their investments. This has major implications for contemporary debates on fair climate policies. I stress the need for more systematic data on individual carbon emissions to allow informed policy debates.