Thread by @Noahpinion

I've been seeing people sharing this graph around. It is total and utter bullshit. "Lifestyle emissions" is a made-up thing that has no relation to total carbon emissions. Total carbon emissions are what matter for the climate.

Here you can look at estimates of total consumption-based carbon emissions - a MUCH better measure. The richest billion people (about 13% of world population) are responsible for about 1/3 of global emissions.

ourworldindata.org/grapher/produc…

The distribution of emissions is lopsided, but not nearly as lopsided as that Oxfam "lifestyle consumption" graph makes it look.

Also note that the viral version of the Oxfam graph is mislabeled. It says "carbon emissions", when actually this is "lifestyle emissions", which doesn't include things like government consumption and investment.
d1tn3vj7xz9fdh.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/fi…

Additionally, even that data is from 2007 - over a decade ago!!
d1tn3vj7xz9fdh.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/fi…

A lot can change in a decade.

So:
1. A mislabeled graph
2. An incomplete measure of emissions
3. Data that's over 10 years out of date

I feel justified in calling the graph "total bullshit".

(end)

Oh and I didn't even mention how it uses unreliable estimates of household consumption coupled with assumptions about the distribution of consumption within countries to produce an obviously way-too-smooth-looking distribution...but anyway.

Oh, and I totally missed this OTHER highly dubious assumption that Oxfam makes about the emissions intensity of consumption...but anyway.

https://twitter.com/Nonissimo/status/1085764347354324992