Emissions divide now greater within countries than between them – study

Private jets on the tarmac of Nice international airport in France. Photograph: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

The difference between the carbon emissions of the rich and the poor within a country is now greater than the differences in emissions between countries, data shows.

The finding is further evidence of the growing divide between the “polluting elite” of rich people around the world, and the relatively low responsibility for emissions among the rest of the population.