--- title: The World's Top Consumers Cause Up to $5.7 Trillion in Environmental Damage Every Year description: The majority of the top 10% of global consumers live in the U.S. and Europe—and they incur an outsized cost on our planet, a new study finds. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/06/18/top-10-percent-global-consumers-biggest-climate-impact/ author: Simmone Shah article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-06-18T17:27:52.432Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-18T17:27:52.627Z article:section: Climate og:title: The World's Top Consumers Cause Up to $5.7 Trillion in Environmental Damage Every Year og:description: The majority of the top 10% of global consumers live in the U.S. and Europe—and they incur an outsized cost on our planet, a new study finds. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/06/18/top-10-percent-global-consumers-biggest-climate-impact/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt02af25a8f12c4e2f/6a34299874124cb3b8d6039a/consumerism-climate-impact.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: consumerism-climate-impact.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The World's Top Consumers Cause Up to $5.7 Trillion in Environmental Damage Every Year twitter:description: The majority of the top 10% of global consumers live in the U.S. and Europe—and they incur an outsized cost on our planet, a new study finds. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt02af25a8f12c4e2f/6a34299874124cb3b8d6039a/consumerism-climate-impact.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The World's Top Consumers Cause Up to $5.7 Trillion in Environmental Damage Every Year > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter Jun 18, 2026 5:27 PM UTC  Crowds walk along 5th Avenue just south of Trump Tower on February 8, 2017 in New York City. Crowds walk along 5th Avenue just south of Trump Tower on February 8, 2017 in New York City. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis—Getty Images  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter Jun 18, 2026 5:27 PM UTC It’s nearly impossible to ignore the toll that our consumerist lives take on the [planet](https://time.com/section/climate/): from the waste generated from [single-use plastics](https://time.com/article/2026/06/09/climate-change-ocean-health-un-report/) to the pollution from our daily commutes. But now, a new study reveals the disproportionate environmental impact caused by the [world’s biggest consumers](https://time.com/6208632/celebrities-climate-impact-private-jets-yachts/). A new [study](https://www.nature.com/articles/s44458-026-00079-x) published today in _Communications Sustainability,_ examines the top 10% of consumers worldwide, and estimates that the total cost of the environmental damage incurred per person is around $2,300 to $7,500 per year. Collectively, the top 10% of global consumers are responsible for $1.7–$5.7 trillion in environmental damages per year. The study looked at six countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Germany, India, and the U.S. These represent each continent’s and the [world’s largest economies](https://time.com/6225264/climate-reparations-rich-countries-barbados/). Within these, the top 10% of [consumers](https://time.com/7305649/the-planet-cant-afford-billionaires/) are those people who spend over $27,000 a year post-tax, excluding investments like mortgages or savings. (The consumption data is from 2017, the most recent year for which globally comparable footprints are available.) The researchers used a [framework](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08154-w) that calculates the per capita consumption-based carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, freshwater use, and terrestrial biodiversity loss footprints. They then used environmental prices from the Environmental Prices Handbook of 2024 to monetize the environmental footprints, calculating the impact of a metric ton of carbon dioxide added to the environment, or a hectare (2.5 acres) of vanished habitat, and then used those per capita figures to estimate a country’s total impact. The researchers found big discrepancies between countries. More than 60% of the global top 10% of consumers live in the U.S. and E.U. In the E.U., 40-45% of the population falls within this highest consuming group, compared to just over half of the U.S. population. Yet the U.S. is responsible for the highest share of damage by far.The top 10% of American earners, those who make about $250,000 a year or more, now account for [nearly half](https://www.wsj.com/economy/consumers/us-economy-strength-rich-spending-2c34a571) of all U.S. consumer spending. In the U.S., the top 10% of consumers face an annual environmental damage bill of $19,000–$63,000 per person, equal to 6–20% of a person’s individual annualincome. India, in contrast, has a bill of $410–$1,4000 per individual—equivalent to 0.8–2.8% of their income. The researchers put a price on the impact this group inflicts across four planetary boundaries: climate change, biodiversity loss, nutrient pollution, and freshwater use. However, they say the figures are likely a conservative estimate of the damage: they cover only four of nine planetary boundaries and exclude investment-linked emissions. The study highlights a key tension when it comes to the question of who is responsible for cleaning up the planet. International agreements say that high-emitting, developed nations should bear the cost in helping developing countries adapt to climate impacts. The cost attributed to the world's top consumers in this study adds to the argument that wealthy nations should be held accountable. “If the polluter pays and that money goes to solutions, it would make a huge difference,” Inge Schrijver, lead author of the study and PhD researcher at the Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Netherlands, said in a press release. “But it is not just about money. Most importantly, damage must be prevented. Apart from financial measures, stricter rules and regulations are crucial.” Wealthier nations are facing growing calls to take responsibility for their role in the climate crisis. In 2022, nations agreed to the Loss and Damages Fund, which would dedicate financial assistance to developing nations that are disproportionately affected by climate change. However, the U.N.-backed fund is already strapped for cash—and could run out of money by the [end of next year](https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/04/24/new-loss-and-damage-fund-could-run-out-of-money-next-year/). (The U.S., which previously pledged $17.5 million towards the fund, announced its intention to withdraw in 2025.) Charging the world’s highest consumers could prove a new model for meeting climate finance gaps while reducing wealth inequality, the researchers argue, especially as research continues to show the outsized climate impact of the world’s ultra-rich—including the world’s first [trillionaire](https://www.selc.org/news/elon-musks-xai-facility-is-polluting-south-memphis/). “The top 10% are important not only because they cause the most damage but also because they hold the most leverage to reduce it,” Paul Behrens, British Academy global professor at the Oxford Martin School of University of Oxford, and co-author of the study, said in a press release. “The capital they invest, from pensions to infrastructure, decides which industries expand, the firms they run set the choices for everyone else, and the lifestyles they pursue shape what people consider as normal. They often have out-sized agency, not only individually as consumers, but also as investors, employers, trend makers, and market shapers. Their power to cut emissions is even larger than their share of them." ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/18/top-10-percent-global-consumers-biggest-climate-impact/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/18/top-10-percent-global-consumers-biggest-climate-impact/"},"headline":"The World's Top Consumers Cause Up to $5.7 Trillion in Environmental Damage Every Year","datePublished":"2026-06-18T17:27:52.432Z","dateModified":"2026-06-18T17:27:52.627Z","description":"The top 10% of global consumers have an outsized impact on the planet.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/18/top-10-percent-global-consumers-biggest-climate-impact/","keywords":["Economy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt02af25a8f12c4e2f/6a34299874124cb3b8d6039a/consumerism-climate-impact.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Simmone Shah","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/"}],"articleSection":"Climate","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt02af25a8f12c4e2f/6a34299874124cb3b8d6039a/consumerism-climate-impact.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"consumerism-climate-impact.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/climate/","name":"Climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/economy/","name":"Economy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/18/top-10-percent-global-consumers-biggest-climate-impact/","name":"The World's Top Consumers Cause Up to $5.7 Trillion in Environmental Damage Every Year"}}]}] ```