How can world’s wealthy change polluting behaviour?

The world’s wealthiest need to reduce their carbon emissions to help tackle climate change, a report by the Cambridge Sustainability Commission has said.

Highest global earners caused a 37% increase in global emissions over 25 years, the document said.

For the majority of people making changes is about shifting infrastructure so we can get about and heat our homes in low carbon ways, Prof Peter Newell, the lead author of the report told BBC World News.

But for the minority who are “blowing the carbon budget", the so-called polluter elite, we need to look at more restrictions, he said.

While welcoming aspects of the report Sam Hall, director of the Conservative Environment Network said that the focus should not be on penalising behaviours but encouraging people to adopt clean technologies.

The world’s richest 1% are responsible for double the combined carbon emissions of the poorest 50% according to the UN.