The world is dangerously close to crossing 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, despite global commitments to stay within the threshold to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. Yet the unchecked excessive emissions of the wealthiest are making it harder to meet this goal. Their private jets, luxury lifestyles, and investments in polluting industries contribute to excessive emissions and heating our planet at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, people who are least responsible for climate change are left to face its growing dangers.

Oxfam's new report Disaster Divide: How Climate Chaos Deepens Inequality and Enriches the Few exposes how the super-rich are responsible for a disproportionate share of carbon emissions while ordinary people bear the brunt of climate disasters. It also sets out what governments can do to tackle this growing crisis.

The Disproportionate Carbon Emission

Not everyone is equally responsible for climate change. For ordinary people, emissions are tied to everyday needs like heating their homes, traveling to work, and putting food on the table. But many of their choices depend on the options available to them and are limited by government decisions on investment, infrastructure, and public services. For example, people cannot easily choose public transit if their communities lack reliable bus or train services.

For the ultra-rich, it is a different story. As people get richer, their wealth allows them to have carbon-intensive luxury lifestyles from private jets to luxury yachts and multiple homes. Oxfam's latest report reveals how deep this emissions inequality has become.

Rich countries also bear the greatest responsibility for pollution. Between 1850 to 2015, countries of the Global North (14% of the world's population) were responsible for 92% of emissions. Despite progress in recent years, Canada's emissions increased by 12.6% between 1990 to 2024.

The Climate Cost of Private Jets

There is perhaps no better symbol of wasteful carbon emissions than travel by private jet. These jets are only used by the richest 0.003% of the world's population, around 250,000 people, predominantly men. Oxfam's 2025 analysis finds that:

The Hidden Pollution Behind Billionaire Wealth

The ultra-rich do not only pollute through their extravagant lifestyle. They also contribute to emissions through their investments. Billionaires are more likely to invest in more polluting industries.

Oxfam's report identified the investment emissions of 1,000 billionaires and the companies they own, control, or invest in. The report reveals:

The ultra-rich are not only leaving behind an oversized carbon footprint. Their wealth and investments can help keep polluting industries growing.

The Human Cost of Excessive Emissions

The consequences of unchecked carbon pollution are dire. In 2023, over 178,000 people died globally due to heatwaves, of which 54% were due to human-induced climate change. Almost half of the world will be living with extreme heat by 2050 if the world reaches 2°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels. Oxfam's report finds that just one year's emissions from the ultra-rich 1% will result in approximately 1.9 million excess deaths related to heat.

Canada is already experiencing the deadly consequences of excessive emissions through heatwaves, wildfires, floods. Between 2000-2020, more than 200 excess deaths were attributed to extreme heat events in Montreal and Toronto. According to the BC Coroner's Service, the 2021 heat dome in British Columbia resulted in 619 heat-related deaths. According to Elbows Up for Climate Campaign, more than 60% of Canadians have been affected by climate disasters this year. Between 2008 and 2025, 828,000 people in Canada were displaced by disasters including wildfires and floods. While people across Canada are already feeling the effects of climate change, the biggest polluters continue to produce far more than their fair share of emissions.