Why would Scientist Rebellion Turtle Island create and join campaigns featuring billionaires as climate criminals? Because the science is clear: the super-wealthy are way more responsible for climate change than the rest of us. A peer-reviewed paper published by Nature in May 2025 shows why.
The wealthiest 1% have become the “Most Wanted” climate criminals.
We can’t afford them – neither can the planet.
Did you know? The poorest half of the world’s population—approximately four billion individuals—barely impact climate change. “Climate Equality: A Planet for the 99%” Oxfam report reveals that in 2019, the richest 1% of the global population generated as much carbon pollution as the poorest two-thirds of humanity—around five billion people. In stark contrast, Richard Wilk and Beatriz Barros’ study found that 20 of the world’s billionaires emitted on average 8,194 tons CO2 equivalent per year.
Billionaire’s emissions are directly linked to fossil fuel consumption through private jets, yachts, and high-carbon investments.
While some people struggle to access clean water, the ultra-rich are having day trips to space. This is a climate of inequality, amplified by a fossil-fuelled economy built for the few.
The massive emissions of their entitled lifestyles are the primary cause of the crisis, from weather disasters to uninsurable homes, you can blame them.
“We are facing a hard battle against a clear enemy – it’s name is greed.”
United Nations Secretary general António Guterres
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THE SCIENCE
“We find that two-thirds (one-fifth) of warming is attributable to the wealthiest 10% (1%), meaning that individual contributions are 6.5 (20) times the average per capita contribution… Emissions from the wealthiest 10% in the United States and China led to a two- to threefold increase in heat extremes across vulnerable regions.”
The research paper highlights a troubling reality: the wealthiest individuals and nations are disproportionately responsible for driving climate change.
If everyone on Earth emitted carbon like the top 10%, global temperatures would have already risen by a catastrophic 2.9 °C. The top 1% alone would push warming to 6.7 °C, while the top 0.1% could drive it to an unthinkable 12.2 °C. These extreme emissions aren’t just numbers—they translate into a dramatic 26-fold increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events, and a sharp rise in devastating, once-in-a-century droughts in fragile regions like the Amazon. The consequences are profound, accelerating ecological collapse and threatening the lives and livelihoods of Indigenous communities and other vulnerable populations.
SCIENCE SAYS: TAX THE MOTHER-FUCKING RICH!
A new econometric study across 200 countries confirms that wealth inequality notably drives carbon emissions, with the richest contributing nearly one‑fifth of their emissions above what would be expected—despite representing a small share of the population. Beyond direct consumption, the investments of the super‑rich heavily lean toward fossil fuels—accounting for 50–70 % of their carbon footprint —and generate heat-related deaths (around 1.3 million globally)
Economists now argue that Economists now argue that wealth taxes on the ultra‑rich could have a dual effect: reducing excessive emissions directly and funding climate justice efforts. (Yay!)
For example, Oxfam projects a 60 % income tax on the global top 1 % could cut emissions by roughly 700 Mt CO₂—more than the UK’s annual emissions—and raise trillions for green transition subsidies.
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