The ‘Pollutocrat Day’—The Richest 1% Needed Only 10 Days To Use Their Fair Share Of 2026 Carbon Emissions, Oxfam Says

by | Jan 13, 2026 | General

The world’s richest 1% have already used up their entire share of carbon emissions for the year, and it took only 10 days, according to Oxfam. 

Dubbed by the organization as the “Pollutocrat Day,” Jan. 10 marked the point when the ultra-wealthy burned through their annual per-person carbon allowance based on a 1.5 degrees Celsius (34 degree Fahrenheit) global warming threshold.

Carbon Inequality Is Getting Worse

According to Oxfam, the richest 0.1% of people had also already blown through their fair share of global per-person carbon allowance by Jan. 3. These carbon budgets are calculated based on how much carbon dioxide can be emitted while still keeping global temperature rise below catastrophic levels.

Don’t Miss:

Oxfam says the average emissions of a person in the top 1% amount to 75.1 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. That’s enough to cause an estimated 1.3 million heat-related deaths by the end of the century.

“Time and time again, the research shows that governments have a very clear and simple route to drastically slash carbon emissions and tackle inequality: by targeting the richest polluters,” Oxfam Climate Policy Lead Nafkote Dabi said.

Billionaires are also investing heavily in polluting sectors such as oil, gas and mining. According to Oxfam, the average billionaire’s investment portfolio produces 1.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. At the November United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil, fossil fuel lobbyists received more credentials than nearly every other group, underscoring how powerful interests shape global negotiations.

Trending: GM-Backed EnergyX Is Solving the Lithium Supply Crisis — Invest Before They Scale Global Production

To address this, Oxfam is urging governments to tax the ultra-wealthy, implement excess profit taxes on fossil fuel companies, and ban carbon-intensive luxury items like private jets and superyachts. The group is also calling for structural economic reforms focused on equity and sustainability.

One company taking steps toward a clean energy future is EnergyX, a U.S.-based startup that developed a high-efficiency lithium extraction technology. EnergyX says it has found a way to extract much more of this key component in batteries, much faster, and with less harm to the environment. Backed by General Motors (NYSE:GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy, the company is now scaling toward commercial production and offers early-stage investment opportunities starting at $1,000.

Read Next: 

Image: Shutterstock