The rich are primarily to blame for the global climate crisis, a study by the University of Leeds of 86 countries claims.
The wealthiest tenth of people consume about 20 times more energy overall than the bottom ten, wherever they live.
And they warn that, unless there's a significant policy change, household energy consumption could double from 2011 levels by 2050.
The study, published in Nature Energy, showed that energy for cooking and heating is more equitably consumed.
The study is likely to ignite future UN climate negotiations, where the issue of equity is always bitterly contentious.
“If transport continues to rely on fossil fuels, this increase would be disastrous for the climate,” the report says.
The authors note that the recent Budget declined to increase fuel duty and promised 4,000 miles of new roads. »
