We’re experiencing the hottest global temperatures ever recorded. For hundreds of millions of us, the climate crisis is already hitting hard. But it’s surprisingly difficult to find out who benefits from it.

In this episode of the Taxcast, the monthly podcast of the Tax Justice Network, host and producer Naomi Fowler investigates who the beneficial owners of the climate crisis are, speaking to George Monbiot, Kenya’s president William Ruto, Victor Galaz of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, and many others.

Fowler looks at the impact of the wealthy and transnational companies not just in terms of their emissions, but of the political pressure they exert to delay the energy transition.

In a preview of the conversation, Dario Kenner, of the Carbon Inequality and the Polluter Elite Database, says: ‘The polluter elite who derive their wealth and their luxury lifestyles from polluting activities: they are the ones who are using everything they can to block governments at national, regional and local level. … The fact that the tax havens are still open is a demonstration of their power.

‘That’s why the political power of the polluter elite is so important to focus on and to counter. To actually shift things, you have to challenge the power.’

A podcast transcript is available at this link. Please note that some is automated.

The Taxcast is a monthly podcast from the Tax Justice Network.

Home page photo by Tobin Jones via AU UN IST Photo/Flickr