Top 1% Emit Double The Carbon Of Poorest 50%
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in today’s copy of The Times.
This is the introductory paragraphs.
The richest 1 per cent of people globally cause more than double the carbon emissions of the three billion who make up the poorest 50 per cent, a report says.
This inequality should be addressed with taxes on frequent flyers, SUVs and luxury items such as private jets and super yachts, according to Oxfam, which has written a report with the Stockholm Environment Institute, a not-for-profit research body.
It is an article well-worth a read.
But as I am not a frequent flyer and don’t own an SUV, private jet or super yacht, I doubt I’ll suffer if the report’s recommendations are implemented.
The Anonymous Widower 
I can’t read the full article because I won’t pay Murdoch tax (we used to get the Times, but then James decided you had to pay again for online content, so we stopped buying either). No surprise that people who live in socialised western [and usually high latitude] societies emit more carbon than subsistence farmers [mostly in or near the tropics], who make up a substantial proportion of the world’s population.
Taxing movable property is very difficult – yachts and jets will just be registered in a jurisdiction where there are low or no taxes. Ditto buying their fuel Who is a frequent flyer? It is already worth flying long haul via another country just to avoid UK departure tax (and customs clearance at LHR on return if it is not your final UK destination), so how will HMRC even know? As it happens, in the UK at least, SUV’s are already taxed more heavily than less thirsty etc. vehicles.
Comment by R. Mark Clayton | September 21, 2020 |