How to save the planet and influence people: Rich must must step up on climate, study says

Anyone earning over £80,000 has ‘outsized’ potential to facilitate change, writes Harry Cockburn

Over 50 per cent of emissions from flying are caused by just 1 per cent of the world’s population (Getty/iStock)

It is not just the super-rich who overuse resources and could help tackle the worsening climate crisis by changing their habits – the moderately rich also have a disproportionate impact on global greenhouse gas emissions and can take action, new research highlights.

The work by environmental psychologists at the University of Cambridge identifies how people who have high socioeconomic status can play a major role in shaping society, influence the choices available to themselves and others, and provide options that either exacerbate or mitigate climate change.

The study defines high socioeconomic status as a person’s position in the structure of society, including not only their wealth and income, but also their “social resources”, which include social class, occupation and social networks.

The authors said this classification encompasses a much broader spectrum of people than just the super-rich, including everyone with an annual income of more than £80,000 ($108,000).

“High socioeconomic status people aren’t just those with more money, but those with stronger social networks. Their connections can enable them to influence behaviours and policies to help mitigate climate change – and we need to find ways to encourage them to do this,” said Dr Kristian Nielsen, a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Psychology, first author of the paper.

He told The Independent: “Obviously, the level of influence will vary with wealth and other aspects of socioeconomic status, so people who are billionaires will, on average, have a higher carbon footprint, greater access to policymakers, have more influence in the organisations they’re part of, have a larger social platform to inspire or influence the behaviour of others, and not least more money to invest.”

But he said there are many avenues through which people can affect climate mitigation that go well beyond our consumption and are disproportionately available to those at the higher end of the socioeconomic status spectrum.

“For example, someone residing in a leadership position in an organisation will more easily be able to shape the decisions of that organisation than the average employee. And someone who is wealthy and/or well-connected with policymakers can more easily and effectively lobby for their private or professional interests.”

The researchers used flying as an example of how wealthy people could recognise and alter their behaviour as consumers.

While the climate impact of air travel is now well known, more than 50 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions from flying are caused by just 1 per cent of the world’s population, the study noted.

The researchers said their work highlights the need to change social norms associated with frequent flying – usually by people of high socioeconomic status – but also to look beyond their role as consumers.

“People of higher socioeconomic status could also act as role models, making more climate-friendly choices that influence others – for example driving electric cars or eating a vegan diet. You don’t need a massive income to be a role model, you just need to be well-connected,” said Dr Nielsen.

He also noted the burden placed on society by inequality.

He said: “The positive message is that many of us have more leverage to positively affect change than we often realise, which is not only limited to our consumption – the very wealthy will already know this though. The negative message is that the disproportionate influence of a minority of the population represents a fundamental democratic problem whereby the voices and actions of people with lower socioeconomic status do not matter as much for mitigation as their high socioeconomic status counterparts.”

The research is published in the journal ​​Nature Energy.