Climate Inequality Report 2023 - Executive Summary

Sep 18, 2026

Climate Inequality Report 2023 analyzes how greenhouse-gas emissions and climate impacts differ across and within countries, with special attention to low- and middle-income settings. It shows that emissions contributions are highly unequal, with the top 10% generating nearly half of global greenhouse gases, while exposure to extreme weather, sea-level rise and diseases is closely linked to income and wealth. The report outlines evidence-based pathways for mitigation, financing and progressive tax and social policies to address climate inequalities at their core.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages149

Reading Time6 h 15 min

AccessFree to download

Executive summary

Why this report?

Our key findings

Introduction

Unequal contributions to climate change

Within-country carbon inequality explains the bulk of global carbon emissions inequality

Unequal impacts of climate change

Tackling climate inequalities

Credits Report coordinator: Philipp Bothe (PSE) Research directors: Lucas Chancel (Sciences Po & PSE) and TancrèdeVoituriez (CIRAD & Iddri Sciences Po) We thank our colleagues who provided feedback on preliminary versions of this report: Stéphane Hallegatte (World Bank), Thomas Piketty (PSE & EHESS) and colleagues at the World Inequality Lab. We also thank colleagues at the Norad, in particular Heidi Bade, Hilde Dahl, Lisa Kirkengen, Lars Andreas Lunde, Stig Traavik, Ragnhild Valstad, and Vemund Vikjord, Håvard Nygård and Bård Solhjell, as well as Heriberto Tapia and Pedro Conceiçao at the UNDP. Cover design: Emilie Poggi Copy editing: Kathleen Weekly This report beneﬁted from the support of the NORAD and the United Nations Development Programme. Please cite this report as: Chancel, L., Bothe, P., Voituriez, T. (2023) Climate Inequality Report 2023, World Inequality Lab Study 2023/1 Creative Commons Licence CC BY 4.0 Contents Executive summary 4 Introduction 13 1 Unequal contributions to climate change 17 1.1 Why do inequalities in emissions matter? .................... 17 1.2 Within-country carbon inequality explains the bulk of global carbon emissions inequality ................................... 18 1.3 Contrasted carbon inequality proﬁles in low and middle income countries. 25 1.4 Consumption and investment patterns drive unequal contributions to climate change ................................... 30 1.5 Ending global poverty need not overshoot global carbon budgets ... 39 2 Unequal impacts of climate change 46 2.1 Unequal exposure to extreme weather events ................ 46 2.2 Unequal exposure to rising sea levels and ﬂoods ............... 54 2.3 Unequal exposure to diseases .......................... 59 2.4 GDP losses: climate change aggravates between-country inequality .. 66 2.5 Exposure, vulnerability and resilience: the distribution of climate damage 72 3 Tackling climate inequalities 87 3.1 Taking stock of mitigation & ﬁnancial eﬀorts to curb climate inequalities . 88 3.2 Progressive taxes to ﬁll the climate funding gap ................ 99 3.3 Earning more, but also spending better .................... 118 3.4 Towards an ecological welfare state ...................... 124 3.5 Summary: An inequality check for climate & development policies ... 126 Summary recommendations 129 Appendix 132 References 139 Executive Summary . WHY THIS REPORT? The climate crisis has begun to disrupt human societies by severely aﬀecting the very foundations of human livelihood and social organisation. Climate impacts are not equally distributed across the world: on average, low- and middle-income countries suﬀer greater impacts than their richer counterparts. At the same time, the climate crisis is also marked by signiﬁcant inequalities within countries. Recent research reveals a high concentration of global greenhouse gas emissions among a relatively small fraction of the population, living in emerging and rich countries. In addition, vulnerability to numerous climate impacts is strongly linked to income and wealth, not just between countries but also within them. The aim of this report is twofold. It endeavours ﬁrst to shed light on these various dimensions of climate inequality in a systematic and detailed analysis, focusing on low-and middle-income countries in particular. It then builds on these insights, together with additional empirical work and interviews with experts, to suggest pathways to development cooperation, and tax and social policies that tackle climate inequalities at their core. OUR KEY FINDINGS All individuals contribute to emissions, but not in the same way. The top 10% of global carbon emitters generate almost half of all greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, in addition to an obvious equity concern, there appears to be an eﬃciency question at stake. The marginal eﬀort required to achieve the same emission reductions might be signiﬁcantly lo

FAQs

Why does the report focus on climate inequality?

Climate impacts are unevenly distributed across countries and within them. The report addresses inequalities in emissions, vulnerability, and the capacity to finance climate action, aiming to inform development, tax and social policy pathways.

What are the report’s main findings on emissions contributions?

All individuals contribute to emissions, but not equally. The top 10% of global carbon emitters generate almost half of all greenhouse gas emissions, raising both equity and efficiency questions for policy design.

How does the report suggest tackling climate inequalities?

It proposes policies that align incentives for high emitters to reduce emissions, supports effective climate funding through mechanisms such as progressive taxes, and advances broader social and development measures including an ecological welfare state approach.

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Arica Lee