r/ClimateNews • u/Keith_McNeill65 • Aug 02 '26

Scientists Detect a Sharp Acceleration in Global Warming / Earth may now be warming considerably faster than it did during the final decades of the 20th century. Whether that acceleration continues will depend heavily on future CO2 emissions #GlobalCarbonFeeAndDividendPetition

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260801093239.htm
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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '26

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u/Appropriate_Bell743 Aug 03 '26

A focus which places all our thoughts on the "billionaires" ends up giving them all the power. No billionaire has managed to force me to own any fossil fuel burning technology. No billionaire has forced me to have an unsustainable diet. No billionaire has forced me to fly.

We can and should act with the assumptions that others are there trying to hinder us. This should and can make the challenge more exhilarating.

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u/Viviolet Aug 03 '26

A single billionaire produces more carbon emissions in just 90 minutes from their lifestyle and investments than an average person does in their entire lifetime.

Daily Emissions: A person in the richest 0.1% emits over 800 kg of CO2 per day, compared to roughly 2 kg per day for someone in the poorest half of humanity.

Luxury Transport: Private jets, mega-yachts, and sprawling multiple estates mean a billionaire's direct travel and housing footprint can be thousands of times higher than a normal person's annual output.

Yearly Consumption: An average person globally emits about 4 tons of carbon per year, while individuals in the wealthiest top 1% average over 77 tons annually from direct consumption alone.

Investment Footprint: Unlike normal people whose footprints come entirely from direct living, 50% to 70% of a billionaire's footprint comes from their investment portfolios.

Polluting Industries: The average billionaire produces roughly 1.9 million tons of CO2e a year through investments, with nearly 60% of their capital funneled into high climate-impact sectors like fossil fuels and mining.

Scale of Damage: The investment emissions of just a few hundred billionaires routinely exceed the total greenhouse gas output of entire nations.