The richest 10% of the world’s population is responsible for two -thirds of the global warming of the global warming since 1990 and the resulting increases in extreme weather events, such as heat and droughts, according to a new study published in the Nature Climate Change.

Using a new model that combined financial data and climate simulations, the researchers were able to detect pollutant emissions from different world income groups and evaluate their contribution to specific extreme climate phenomena. They found that emissions of pollutants from the richest 10% of people only in the United States and China, each led to an increase of two to three times the extreme temperatures in vulnerable areas. The effects are particularly serious in vulnerable tropical areas, such as Amazon, Southeast Asia and South Africa, areas that have historically contributed less to global emissions.

It was also found that the top 1% of the richest people in the world contributed 26 times more than the global average to increases in monthly extreme temperatures and 17 times more to the Amazon droughts.

The study also highlights the importance of emissions related to financial investment and not just personal consumption. The authors argue that targeting the financial flows and portfolios of high incomes could bring significant climate benefits. As they point out, the redistribution of responsibility for climate action according to real pollutant broadcasting contributions is essential, not only for the slowdown of global warming, but also to achieve a more fair and durable world.