Richest 1% have blown through their fair share of carbon emissions for 2026 in just 10 days, says Oxfam Cass Hebron Fri, 01/09/2026 - 23:00 Off The richest 1% have exhausted their annual carbon budget – the amount of CO2 that can be emitted while staying within 1.5 degrees of warming - only ten days into the year, according to new analysis from Oxfam. The richest 0.1% already used up their carbon limit on the 3rd January. This day – named by Oxfam as ‘Pollutocrat Day’ – highlights how the super-rich are disproportionately responsible for driving the climate crisis. The emissions of the richest 1% generated in one year alone will cause an estimated 1.3 million heat-related deaths by the end of the century. Decades of over consumption of emissions by the world’s super rich are also causing significant economic damage to low and lower-middle income countries, which could add up to $44 trillion by 2050. To stay within the 1.5 degrees limit, the richest 1% would have to slash their emissions by 97% by 2030.