Exploring the criticism faced by celebrities for flying short distances in private jets and the justifications people make for their own polluting activities, while considering the global impact of individual emissions and discussing the influence and privilege of the wealthy elite and middle-class individuals in rich countries.
A new report from Oxfam has found that the extravagant carbon footprint of the 0.1% – from superyachts, private jets and mansions to space flights and doomsday bunkers – is 77 times higher than the upper level needed for global warming to peak at 1.5C. Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s Europe environment correspondent Ajit Niranjan, and from wealth correspondent Rupert Neate, about the highly polluting transport habits of the ultra-wealthy. Help support our independent journalism at
theguardian.com/sciencepod