by . . . everything indicates more and more clearly that the resolution of the climate challenge can not be achieved without a powerful movement of compression of social inequalities, at all levels. With the current scale of inequalities, the march towards energetic sobriety will remain wishful thinking. Firstly because carbon emissions are highly concentrated among the richest. Globally, the richest 10% are responsible for almost half of the emissions, and the richest 1% alone emit more carbon than the poorest half of the planet. The drastic reduction of the purchasing power of the richest would therefore as such have a substantial impact on the reduction of emissions at the global level. Moreover, it is hard to see how the middle and lower classes of rich and emerging countries would
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. . . everything indicates more and more clearly that the resolution of the climate challenge can not be achieved without a powerful movement of compression of social inequalities, at all levels. With the current scale of inequalities, the march towards energetic sobriety will remain wishful thinking. Firstly because carbon emissions are highly concentrated among the richest. Globally, the richest 10% are responsible for almost half of the emissions, and the richest 1% alone emit more carbon than the poorest half of the planet. The drastic reduction of the purchasing power of the richest would therefore as such have a substantial impact on the reduction of emissions at the global level.
Moreover, it is hard to see how the middle and lower classes of rich and emerging countries would accept to change their way of life (which is nevertheless indispensable) if they are not given proof that the better-off are put to use.