Wealthy white men are UK’s biggest transport polluters, study finds
Wealth
Wealthy white men from rural areas are the UK’s biggest emitters of climate-heating gases from transport, according to a study.
Research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) looked at transport emissions by income, gender, location, ethnicity and age. The study broke down the transport emissions into international and domestic flights, private road transport and public transport.
Wealth
The richest 0.1% in Britain emit 22 times more from transport than low earners, and 12 times more than average. The data finds that income is directly linked to levels of mobility, with people who earn more than £100,000 travelling on average at least double the distance each year compared with those on incomes under £30,000.
Those in the most deprived 10% are responsible for by far the fewest emissions, though flying still makes up more than half of their total emissions.
Gender
Men are responsible for significantly more emissions from transport than women are.
