Calling Out the #PollutingElite: Why Carbon Inequality Demands Action

A new global campaign spotlights on one of the key injustices of our time: the richest 1% of people emit as much carbon pollution as the poorest 5 billion combined.

This is not only a crisis of inequality - it’s a crisis of survival. Around the world, communities that contribute least to the climate emergency are bearing the greatest costs, while a small elite continues to live in ways that push our planet closer to collapse.

To alarm communities worldwide about this issue, more than 20 organizations - including The Climate Reality Project Europe - have come together to launch the #PollutingElite campaign. The initiative highlights the urgent need for systemic change, from taxing the super-rich and luxury emissions to ensuring polluters pay for the damage they cause.

The campaign video, featuring voices from across the global climate movement, is a call to action for governments and citizens alike:

• Tax wealthy polluters and luxury emissions.

• Fund climate adaptation and solutions for communities most affected.

• Build fairer systems that reduce overconsumption and protect our shared future.

👉 Watch the video and learn more at PollutingElite.earth

Join us. Share the video. Raise your voice. Let’s make polluters pay.

The actions you can take after watching this video include:

• Sign the Oxfam MakeRichPollutersPay.org petition

• Join the Draw The Line global days of action

• Join the African Climate Justice Caravan 

• Join the Global Citizen Tax Rich Polluters campaign

• Sign the Global Witness Polluters Pay Pact

• Sign the Greenpeace Tax the Super-Rich letter

• Tell Mondelēz: Respect Indigenous Rights

• Urge your leaders to tax the wealthy and polluting luxuries to fund climate adaptation and mitigation

• Drive new policies in your town, region, or country to reduce overconsumption and incentivize low-carbon lifestyles

• Find and explore more data on global and national carbon inequality by visiting SEI’s Emissions Inequality Dashboard at www.sei.org/tools/emissions-inequality-dashboard