Did you know that the richest people on the planet, with 1% of the highest income, emit as much planet-heating pollution as two-thirds of humanity, which is more than all car and road transport emissions? The world’s wealthiest individuals play a more under-examined role in causing global warming. Many of the wealthy choose not to donate money to good causes and would rather spend their money in ways that cause environmental harm. Private jets, luxury real estate, and fast fashion all increase our carbon emissions and resource consumption. Ervin Grant, a scientist who focuses on the environmental harm of carbon emissions, says, “Wealthy people’s private jets are one of the stupidest things they could do to our society. I’ve recently studied data to uncover that Taylor Swift has caused 8,300 tonnes of CO2.”

Wealthy people have the worst carbon footprint, because of their need to buy stuff such as multiple large homes, private jets, and many other luxury items. An example of carbon use is how a single private jet flight can emit as much carbon dioxide as an average person produces in years. So, when the wealthy choose to always travel by private jet, they can accumulate as much carbon as a middle-class person in their entire life. Wealthy peoples use of carbon emissions is enough to cause 1.3 million excess deaths due to heat, which is fairly close to the whole population of Dublin, Ireland. These deaths will soon happen between 2020-2030, meaning their actions have not only harmed our environment, but our people as well.

Another way the wealthy are affecting our climate is by investing and donating money towards fossil fuel companies and deforestation companies. By supporting these companies, the rich are able to expand those industries that are the main cause of climate change. The American billionaires Charles and David Koch have not donated but made their own fossil fuel industry called the Koch Industries. With these industries, they can profit from oil refining, pipelines, and petrochemicals. Koch Industries is one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S. and is nicknamed the top air polluter in the country. The wealthy have not only ignored climate change, but have purposely supported the idea of polluting our air constantly and at an increasing rate.

The wealthy have always caused climate change by their way of spending money and consuming items that cause harm to our environment. They choose to ignore their actions and don’t take into account the harmful ways carbon dioxide ruins our planet. You’d think billionaires would make smarter choices since they somehow got all this money in the first place from being “smarter” than the average person with a minimum income. We need to influence these billionaires to help decrease global warming and support companies that thrive to make our planet healthier.