According to Oxfam, the world’s richest 1 percent have already used up part of the world’s annual carbon budget in the first 10 days of 2025. The charity used the analysis to call for a renewed tax on private jets in Scotland.
An Oxfam study found that the world’s richest 1% of people were responsible for almost 16% of global carbon emissions in 2019.
The group said it had already exhausted its annual budget for the amount of carbon dioxide that could be added to the atmosphere without raising global warming beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius.
action
In contrast, Oxfam says less than 8% of global CO2 emissions in 2019 were caused by the world’s poorest 50% of people. The charity said around 13,000 private jet flights were recorded at Scottish airports in 2023.
Jamie Livingstone, director of Oxfam Scotland, said: “Private jets are the poster child for climate injustice, piling up unnecessary pollution on a planet already ravaged by a deadly combination of floods, fires and famine. There is.
“The Scottish Government faces a stark choice: take bold action to make these wealthy polluters pay for their lavish lifestyle choices, or continue contributing to their deadly destruction. Raft.
“A private jet tax would send a strong message that Scotland will not tolerate recklessly destroying our collective future.
“With Scotland’s budget at stake, MSPs have a unique opportunity to help get Scotland’s climate credibility back on track, by taxing private jets and raising vital funding for green initiatives. It’s about showing the world that Scotland is really serious about tackling climate change.”
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The Scottish Government said in its Budget that it remains committed to replacing UK-wide air passenger tax with a Scottish Air Departure Tax and will review private jet fees.
John Swinney previously described calls for a tax on private jets as a “welcome proposal”.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government continues to consider all options to introduce an air departure tax in a way that protects airline connectivity in the Highlands and Islands.
“We will review the rates and scope of air departure taxes, including the rate on private jets, before introducing the tax to ensure it is in line with our net zero ambitions.”
caveat
Last year was the hottest on record, scientists say, and for the first time exceeded a key global warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.
The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Agency (C3S) has confirmed previous predictions that 2024 will be the warmest year on record globally, with average temperatures exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in a calendar year.
Scientists said that while anthropogenic climate change was the main driver of the record temperatures, other factors were also at play, such as the Pacific Ocean’s “El Niño” weather phenomenon, which raises global temperatures.
Analysis by the Met Office, the University of East Anglia and the National Center for Atmospheric Science also found that 2024 will be the hottest year on record and “probably” the first year to exceed 1.5C.
Climate experts say that a single year of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels does not mean the world has reached that level of global warming, but that it is unlikely to reach that level now. It only warns you about what is approaching.
these authors
Emily Beament is Pennsylvania’s environmental correspondent. Neil Pooran is a political correspondent in Scotland, Pennsylvania.
