Tax the Rich to Tackle Climate Change
Rich people emit more carbon than you and I. Let’s use their wealth to address the climate crisis.
What do rich guys do with all their money?
They do lots of things — buy expensive works of art, drive fancy sports cars, take exotic vacations, party on big boats, and even write unhinged posts on social media. They have more money than you, more houses, more stuff. They may even have more fun.
But another thing that pretty much every rich person does more than you and me is emitting carbon dioxide. People in the top 10% by income (in America, people making at least $173,000 per year) are far more responsible for climate change than the ordinary people in society. They drive more than you, heat and cool larger houses, fly much more often (and more often in private aircraft), and buy more stuff.
This is a problem all over the world, but rich Americans are particularly terrible for the climate. The richest 10% of Americans emit about 75 tons of CO2 equivalent each year, while people in the bottom half of the income scale emit about 10 tons per person. Someone in the top 10% of the German income scale emits less than half as much carbon as their American counterpart.
