The world’s wealthiest individuals fuel climate change through more than just buying goods and using energy — they also invest in polluting assets, according to a new report.
The wealthiest 1% of the global population accounts for 15% of all emissions attributed to consumers, but if their carbon footprint is measured by the assets they own, their share jumps up to about 40%, the study, conducted by researchers at the World Inequality Lab, found.
To calculate this, the lab, based at the Paris School of Economics and the University of California at Berkeley, looked at emissions generated by the investments, company ...