Inaction of the richest

While it's good to know the impact you have on the world as an individual (you can calculate your carbon footprint on the previous page), the best way to take action for the environment is to act on a large scale and to target the biggest polluters for change. Indeed, individual actions are not the most polluting. According to a report published by the NGO Oxfam, the richest 1% are responsible for 16% of greenhouse gas emissions.

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Preventing more than 1.5C of global heating means that our average emissions should be no greater than two tonnes of carbon dioxide per person per year. But the richest 1% of the world’s people produce an average of more than 70 tonnes. Bill Gates, according to one estimate, emits almost 7,500 tonnes of CO2, mostly from flying in his private jets. Roman Abramovich, the same figures suggest, produces almost 34,000 tonnes, largely by running his gigantic yacht.​

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The richest people, by their way of life, consume more and have a more harmful way of life for the environment. Let's take the example of private jets: a private jet is on average 10 times more polluting than commercial aircraft for passengers. The issue of private jets is especially interesting since it has raised many controversies. An account allowing the tracking of the movements of certain personalities have appeared on Instagram as the account "Bernard's plane" concarcé to follow the routes of Bernard Arnault. Since October 20, it is no longer possible to follow the journey of the billionaire who would have sold his jet. Starting from the fact that the rich pollute more, what shocks most is the inaction of governments. This inaction is costly for the ecological transition: 6.8 billion euros is what the carbon component of the climate wealth tax could bring in 2022. Thus, it is necessary to mobilize for a government action against the big fortunes. On the subject of private jets, Madame Borne, the French Prime Minister, has asked private jet owners to be exemplary. But, we know that the current use of private jets is incompatible with the Paris Agreement. Why not regulate their use in Parliament? It is this inaction that handicaps us on a daily basis and that we must remedy by acting together for the climate. 

Once you have finished reading the other articles, go to our main page to see the means of action you can put in place so that at your individual scale you can have a global impact. Here is a link to a petition you can sign to ban private jets and start your action: 

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https://www.change.org/p/sauvons-la-plan%C3%A8te-en-interdisant-les-vols-en-jet-priv%C3%A9