the wealthiest 10 per cent of the population have about 2.5 times the negative impact on the environment as those in the bottom 10 per cent. Economist Hugh Mackenzie and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives have a point: the poor have less impact, so they should have to bear less of the burden from policies such as carbon taxes.
From the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives:
The richest 10 percent of Canadians create a bigger ecological footprint – a whopping 66 percent higher — than the average Canadian household, says a new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). The study, Size Matters:
Canada’s Ecological Footprint, By Income, is the first Canadian study to link national income and consumption patterns with global warming. “When we look at where the environmental impact of human activity comes from, we see that size really does matter,” says Hugh Mackenzie, CCPA research associate. “Higher-income Canadians create a much bigger footprint than poorer Canadians.”
– from www.treehugger.com