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The Environmental Cost of Mega-Consumption The world's highest-consuming 10% of the population is racking up an environmental damage bill of up to $5.7 trillion a year, a study has found. This figure is larger than the economy of every country except the US and China. Concentration of Mega-Consumers Mega-consumers are concentrated in the global north, accounting for more than half the population of the US and 40-45% of people in the EU. The average annual environmental damage bill for someone in the global top 10% ranged from $2,300 to $7,500. The Data Analysis The damage tally was calculated using estimates of the monetary impacts of climate disruption, biodiversity loss, nutrient pollution, and freshwater use. Biodiversity loss accounted for the largest share of the global damage bill, making up 47-56% of the total, while the climate emergency was responsible for a further 36-45%. The Impact Analysis The study found that high-consuming households in emerging economies are catching up. The average environmental damage bill for the top 10% in China has overtaken that of the top 10% in Germany. The authors suggest that governments could target this high-consuming group through taxes on luxury goods, wealth, and carbon, reducing emissions and pollution while raising revenue to support sustainability transitions and reducing inequality. The Prediction The paper cautions that the true environmental cost by this group is likely to be even higher, as the calculations cover only four of nine planetary boundaries and reflect direct consumption alone, excluding the likely greater impacts of investments. The findings strengthen the case for addressing the biodiversity and climate crises together, rather than treating them as separate policy challenges.