The richest 10% of the world’s population is responsible for the majority of global warming. According to a new study published in “Nature Climate Change,” emissions from the wealthiest 10% of individuals in the US and China alone have each led to a two- to three-fold increase in extreme temperatures in vulnerable regions. The study highlights that this top 10% accounts for two-thirds of the observed global warming since 1990, along with the associated rise in extreme weather events such as heatwaves and droughts.

Using a novel model that combined economic data with climate simulations, researchers were able to trace emissions from different global income groups and evaluate their contributions to specific climate phenomena. They found that emissions from the wealthiest 10% in the US and China each caused significant increases in extreme temperatures in susceptible areas. The impacts are especially severe in vulnerable tropical regions like the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and Southern Africa—areas that have historically contributed less to global emissions.

Furthermore, the study revealed that the top 1% of the wealthiest individuals worldwide contributed 26 times more than the global average to increases in monthly extreme temperatures and 17 times more to droughts in the Amazon.

The research emphasizes that emissions associated with financial investments, not just personal consumption, play a crucial role. The authors suggest that focusing on financial flows and the portfolios of high-income individuals could yield substantial climate benefits. They argue that redistributing responsibility for climate action based on actual emission contributions is vital—not only to slow global warming but also to create a fairer and more resilient world.