A new report by Oxfam reveals an alarming reality: the richest 0.1% of Latin America and the Caribbean emits 252 times more carbon dioxide than the poorest half of the population.
This extreme climate inequality not only reflects an unjust economic model but also deepens the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable communities.
Disproportionate emissions and concentration of polluting power
While a person from the poorest 50% emits on average 0.6 tons of CO₂ per year, someone from the richest 0.1% exceeds 151 tons. Since 1990, emissions from this privileged group have increased by 160%, according to the report titled “The Climate Heist: How a Powerful Minority is Driving the World to Disaster”.
“The climate crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean is also a crisis of inequality,” stated Gloria García-Parra, Oxfam’s regional director.
Investments in polluting sectors: the double impact of the elites
The problem is not limited to excessive carbon consumption. 60% of billionaires’ investments are concentrated in high climate impact sectors, such as:
- Oil and natural gas
- Mining
- Deforestation and intensive agribusiness
These investments exacerbate the environmental crisis and perpetuate an extractivist model that benefits a few and harms many.
Projected impacts: deaths, economic losses, and environmental collapse
Emissions from the richest 1% could cause:
- 1.3 million heat-related deaths by the end of the century
- 44 trillion dollars in economic damages for low and lower-middle-income countries by 2050
Regional pollution: sources, consequences, and vulnerabilities
- Air pollution: caused by fossil fuel burning, wildfires, and transportation
- Solid waste: more than 17,000 tons of plastic daily, with inadequate management in open landfills
- Marine pollution: the Caribbean has one of the highest concentrations of plastic waste in the world
Oxfam’s proposals for a just transition
Oxfam urges governments to:
- Drastically reduce emissions from the richest 0.1%
- Halt their economic and political influence
- Strengthen the participation of civil society and indigenous peoples
- Equitably distribute the remaining climate budget
- Transform the economic system to prioritize people and the planet
Climate justice: an ethical and structural urgency
The gap between the rich and poor in terms of pollution has widened by 160% in the last 35 years. While privileged sectors benefit from environmental destruction, vulnerable communities face its consequences without resources or protection.
“This injustice is not only morally unacceptable but also endangers the future of the entire region,” concluded García-Parra.
Oxfam’s report makes it clear that the fight against climate change cannot be separated from the fight against inequality.
To move towards a sustainable model, it is essential to redistribute responsibilities, reform economic structures, and ensure that the climate transition is just, inclusive, and effective.
