Here's how much the richest 10% owe the planet for the environmental damage they've caused | BBC Science Focus Magazine

The wealthiest 10 per cent of people are disproportionately responsible for environmental damage that’s costing the Earth trillions.

That’s according to a new study, published in the Communications Sustainability journal, which set out to calculate the financial cost of environmental harm caused by the world’s richest people, due to their businesses and lifestyle habits.

Unsurprisingly, the estimated monetary value of damage caused is gargantuan. The study's authors found annual damages owed by the top 10 per cent amounted to around $1.7–5.7tr (£1.3–4.3tr), equivalent to $2,300–7,500 (£1,700–5,700) per person (in 2017 US dollars), surpassing international climate and biodiversity financing gaps.

To understand just how much money could potentially be owed, study authors calculated the financial cost of the climate change, biosphere integrity, biogeochemical cycles and freshwater use footprints of the richest 10 per cent in 2017 (the most recent data we have in this area), using the Environmental Prices Handbook.

Biodiversity loss puts pressure on the local ecosystems that naturally filter our water, pollinate crops and protect the landscape from erosion - Credit: Getty