(08 December 2020) – New Oxfam analysis reveals huge carbon inequality in Europe: EU emissions cuts since 1990 have been achieved only among lower and middle income EU citizens, while the total emissions of the richest 10% actually grew.
New Oxfam analysis developed with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) reveals that in the 25 years between 1990 and 2015, in which the EU’s consumption emissions fell by around 12%, while income inequality increased across Europe, the richest 10% of EU citizens were responsible for over a quarter (27%) of these EU emissions, the same amount as the poorest half of the EU population combined.
To achieve the deeper emissions cuts needed by 2030, European leaders must put fairness and a just transition at the heart of the Green Deal, targeting deeper emissions reductions from richer Europeans, while boosting support for lower income and marginalised communities.
A Green Deal that tackles both inequality and emissions can help build fairer, healthier and more resilient European societies in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.