Join the campaign for Climate Justice – let’s Make Rich Polluters Pay!

The climate crisis is unfolding before our eyes —devastating lives and livelihoods across the world. But the burden isn’t shared equally. Those who did the least to cause this crisis—people living in poverty, Indigenous peoples, and people of colour—are paying the highest price. Discrimination means that it’s often women who pay the highest price, while young people everywhere are seeing their futures stolen. All the while, the richest people and corporations are plundering the planet and polluting for profit, leaving the rest of us to deal with the consequences.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. A fairer, more sustainable future is possible—one where communities on the frontlines have the resources to survive extreme weather, rebuild, and thrive. The biggest polluters, who have fuelled this crisis while amassing obscene wealth, must pay for the damage they’ve caused.

We can raise the trillions needed to tackle the climate crisis—if we make rich polluters pay.

Sign the petition

Dear World Leaders,

People everywhere are suffering from the climate crisis, while the biggest polluters become even wealthier. It is only fair to hold these polluters to account for the damage they are causing.

We ask you to tax the richest polluters and use that money to support those communities most impacted by the climate crisis and to cover the costs of building a fairer future.

Sincerely,

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I simply cannot accept that our people in the Philippines are dying because of a phenomenon – the climate crisis – that we haven’t even caused. For me – that’s my ‘why’ – to create an environment where future generations can grow and live their lives, and not just survive typhoons or other disasters. I have experienced that, and I wouldn’t want my children to go through all of that too.

Marinel Samook Ubaldo, climate activist and Typhoon Haiyan survivor

Get to know Marinel Ubaldo and other climate activists who support Oxfam’s Make Rich Polluters Pay campaign.

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Frequently-asked questions

Who are the polluters?

The richest people, corporations, and countries, who hold the greatest responsibility for the climate crisis, must shoulder the greatest burden of the climate debt.

• Half of the world’s carbon pollution come from the fossil fuels produced by just 36 companies. For decades, these oil, coal and gas corporations have spread lies about the climate crisis and lobbied to create fossil-fuel driven economies.  They’ve taken billions in government subsidies and as energy prices soared, so have their profits. 
•  The world’s richest 1% have burned through twice as much carbon as the poorest half of humanity since the 1990s. Meanwhile, billionaires are generating a million times more emissions than the average person through their investments. 
• Wealthy countries, responsible for more than 90% of excess emissions, have built empires from the exploitation of the Global South. 

How should governments make polluters pay?

There are many ways that governments can make the richest polluters pay. For example: 

• Taxing Super-Rich polluters: By introducing permanent, progressive taxes on the income and wealth of the world’s richest 1%, we can raise the trillions needed to fund a green and fair future. Taxes on this elite group could generate up to $9 trillion—money that could power renewable energy, climate adaptation, and justice for those on the frontlines. A global tax of 60% on the incomes of the richest 1% would not only raise vital funds, but also cut emissions by an amount greater than the UK’s total emissions in 2019. By targeting wealth generated from polluting industries, these taxes would also discourage investments in fossil fuels and other high-emission sectors—helping shift money away from destruction and towards solutions.
• Taxing polluting corporations: Governments should tax the excess profits of companies that are caused by their excessive control over the market, and should charge an additional higher rate of tax on corporate profits from polluting investments. Oxfam and Action Aid analysis shows that a tax of 50–90% on the windfall profits of 722 mega-corporations could have generated up to US$941bn. Governments should also stop paying corporate handouts to fossil fuel companies in rich countries. 

Why now?

• This year marks a critical turning point for climate justice. At COP30 in Brazil this November, governments must show they are serious keeping the promise of the Paris Agreement alive and delivering a just energy transition. That means committing to bold action, including significantly more ambitious national climate plans (‘Nationally Determined Contributions’) and putting real money on the table.
  
  At the same time, far-right forces—backed by fossil fuel interests—are rolling back climate policies, spreading misinformation, and silencing activists to protect corporate profits. If we don’t act now, the richest and most powerful will burn through what’s left of our carbon budget, destroying any chance of a liveable future.

How should the money be spent?

Governments should use the money raised from rich polluters to compensate communities being hit hardest by the climate crisis, and to fund a just transition, both at home and around the world.

• A Just Transition towards a sustainable future: Our world is at a turning point – we need to drastically cut global emissions if we are to avoid the climate crisis spiralling out of control, with catastrophic consequences for all of us. It’s not too late, but a fast and fair transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy depends on finding trillions to make it happen.
• Loss and damage: In 2023, world leaders set up a new fund to compensate communities on the frontlines of the crisis for the losses and damages they’ve incurred from climate change. Now governments need to commit to filling the fund with at least $400 billion a year.
• Adaptation: Urgent action is needed to fill the gap in climate adaptation funding, to help communities adapt to climate impacts. The UNEP estimates that $387 billion a year is needed.

Why are women bearing the brunt of the climate crisis?

Women and girls experience the greatest impacts of climate change, which deepens existing gender inequalities and poses unique threats to their livelihoods, health, and safety. For example, women depend more on, yet have less access to, natural resources and have to work harder during periods of drought and erratic rainfall.  In the wake of climate disasters, young girls can be robbed of an education as they have to leave school to take up care work. As climate change drives conflict across the world, women and girls face increased risk of all forms of gender-based violence. Women need to be at the heart of climate action. 

Read our reports

Learn more about the campaign at makerichpolluterspay.org.