Wealthiest 10 percent of the world consume 187 times more fossil fuels than poorest 10 percent
Rich people are the leading cause of according to a new study from researchers at the University of Leeds. The team estimated how much energy was used by different income groups based on spending data from 86 countries, compiled by the and the World Bank. Unsurprisingly, the rich use significantly more energy than the poor, a difference that's true both on an individual and national level. The biggest difference comes in transportation, according to a summarizing the study in the BBC. The richest 10 percent of people in the world consume 187 times more fossil fuels for transportation than the poorest 10 percent. The difference is attributed to driving habits, with the poor much more reliant on public transportation and walking, while the rich tend to travel alone and often prefer to drive even short distances. Another major difference comes from home energy usage, which includes cooking, heating, and air conditioning. The richest 10 percent consumed around one-third of all energy used in homes, something the team attributes to having larger properties that are less energy efficient to heat, cool, or filled with energy hungry electronic devices. The study also showed that global wealth is as unevenly distributed as energy consumption. While 20 percent of British citizens, and 40 percent of German citizens, qualify among the top 5 percent of the world's energy users, just two percent of China's population qualify. The poorest 20 percent of people in the UK still consumed more energy than three-quarters of India. The team warns that by 2050, energy consumption for transportation alone could rise an additional 31 percent, something that could have 'disastrous' consequences for the climate. According to Kevin Anderson, an energy and climate researcher at the Tyndall Centre in the United Kingdom, the study's findings will be difficult for many to absorb. 'This study tells relatively wealthy people like us what we dont want to hear,' he told the BBC. 'The climate issue is framed by us high emitters the politicians, business people, journalists, academics...We have convinced ourselves that our lives are normal, yet the numbers tell a very different story,'