[noobermin]

While the usage per capita shoots up for the very rich, a huger fraction of CO2 output is from those below them, not exactly the poorest but people in the middle. Per capita doesn't help, you could execute the very rich tomorrow and still have irreversible climate change in 10 years.

[CM30]

It's less the absolute effect and more the feeling of "why should our lives be made significantly less convenient while those with seemingly unlimited wealth and power get to pollute as much as they like?"

If you want regular people to care more about the environment and pollute less, than you should have the rich and powerful lead by example, not push laws that seemingly do nothing while acting as wasteful as ever.

[mschuster91]

> Per capita doesn't help, you could execute the very rich tomorrow and still have irreversible climate change in 10 years.

The thing is, getting rid of the very rich and their indulgence in climate-devastating actions moves the goalposts/acceptable excuses for the lower classes ("but the rich are doing it too") as well.

[mr_00ff00]

Maybe there’s some term or phrase for this, but I feel like those being wasteful aren’t gonna change because suddenly the goal post is moved.

Maybe I’m too pessimistic, but I feel like most human behavior we decide what we are gonna do and then find the reasons to justify it.

[timeon]

> per capita shoots up for the very rich

This can be huge population. US CO2 output per capita is pretty big even if you compare it with EU.