Korea`s top 1 percent rich emit nearly 30 times more carbon than the bottom 50 percent."
Recently, the World Inequality Research Institute, run by world-renowned scholar Thomas Piketty, published the "2022 World Inequality Report," drawing attention. As Korea has grown at a tremendous rate in decades, its income has risen a lot, making it one of the richest countries in Asia, but the gap between the rich and the poor has also widened. The annual income of the bottom 50% of income earners in Korea is 12,326,845 million won, which is only one-fourteenth of the top 10% (178,58,110 won).
However, at a time when Korea aims to realize carbon neutrality in 2050, it also included what policymakers and scientists should pay attention to. I'd like to introduce you because it doesn't seem to be well known. It is that Korea's "carbon inequality" is no less serious than the income gap.
According to the report, Korea's per capita carbon emission is 14.7 tons per year, which is one of the "high carbon emitters." Less than the United States (21t), Canada (19t), but much more than China (8t). Korea's carbon emissions have soared by about 66 percent since 1990. What attracts particular attention is that the rich, the top earners, have overwhelmingly higher carbon emissions than the bottom earners. For about 31 years from 1990, the carbon emissions orders for the bottom 50% of earners increased by only 43%, but the top 10% increased by nearly 200%.
In particular, Korea's top 1% earners emit 180 tons of carbon per person per year, more than 12 times the overall average (14.7 tons). It is nearly three times more than the top 10% earners (54.5t), and 12 times more than the median 40% earners (14.9t). In particular, the carbon emissions of the bottom 50% are 6.6 tons per person, about one-half of the top 1%. The difference between the top 10% and the bottom 50% is 8.2 times.
Such a large gap in carbon emissions between income brackets is unusual even among high-emission countries. The U.S. is the world's top carbon emitter, but the difference between the bottom 50% (10 tons) and the top 10% (75 tons) is 7.5 times. Germany, Europe's top carbon emitter, emits an average of 11 tons per person, about six times the difference between the top 10% (34 tons) and the bottom 50%. Japan also has 12 tons of emissions per capita, which is less than Korea, with the bottom 50% being 6 tons and the top 10% being 38 tons, which is a little more than six times the gap.
Why does Korea have such a huge gap in carbon emissions between income classes as well as income gaps? Of course, it's basically because the top earners spend as much money as they have a lot of money. However, in the case of "life necessities" consumed per capita in society, the gap in quantity and quality between income classes continues to narrow. Maybe it's because of the moral hazard of the rich, lack of social responsibility, or the high-income industries that produce consumer goods or services that are favored by high-income earners, or high-carbon emissions.
In any case, bridging this income gap in carbon emissions will be one of the challenges for scientists and policymakers to create a 2050 carbon-neutral society. It would be to develop carbon-reducing technologies in industrial fields such as luxury goods and high-end products to improve processes or to encourage them through policies and methods. Responsibility, such as voluntary reduction efforts by high-income earners, cannot be left out. Unless you're going to take a spaceship and flee to Mars if the Earth is destroyed.
Writer: Grace Jun
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