[UNESP 2015] Oxfam study finds richest 1% is lik...

29 UNESP 2015 - Inglês

Oxfam study finds richest 1% is likely to control half of global wealth by 2016

By Patricia Cohen

January 19, 2015

The world’s business elite will meet this week at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Credit Jean-Christophe Bott/European Pressphoto Agency

The richest 1 percent is likely to control more than half of the globe’s total wealth by next year, the anti-poverty charity Oxfam reported in a study released on Monday. The warning about deepening global inequality comes just as the world’s business elite prepare to meet this week at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The 80 wealthiest people in the world altogether own 1.9 $t r i ll i o n, t h ere p or t f o u n d, n e a r l y t h es am e am o u n t s ha re d b y t h e 3.5 bi ll i o n p eo pl e w h oocc u p y t h e b o tt o mha l f o f t h e w or l d ’ s in co m esc a l e . (L a s t ye a r, i tt oo k 85 bi ll i o nai res t oe q u a lt ha t f i gu re .) A n d t h er i c h es t 1 p erce n t o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n co n t ro l s n e a r l y ha l f o f t h e w or l d ’ s t o t a lw e a lt h, a s ha re t ha t i s a l so in cre a s in g . < / s p an >< / p >< p > T h e t y p eo f in e q u a l i t y t ha t c u rre n tl yc ha r a c t er i zes t h e w or l d ’ seco n o mi es i s u n l ik e an y t hin g see nin rece n t ye a rs, t h ere p or t e x pl ain e d .“ B e tw ee n 2002 an d 2010 t h e t o t a lw e a lt h o f t h e p oores t ha l f o f t h e w or l d in c u rre n t U . S . d o ll a rs ha d b ee nin cre a s in g m oreor l ess a tt h es am er a t e a s t ha t o f bi ll i o nai res, ” i t s ai d .“ Ho w e v ers in ce 2010, i t ha s b ee n d ecre a s in g o v er t ha tt im e .” < / p >< p > Winni e B y an y ima, t h ec ha r i t y ’ se x ec u t i v e d i rec t or, n o t e d ina s t a t e m e n tt ha t m ore t hanabi ll i o n p eo pl e l i v e d o n l ess t han < s p an >$ $1.25$ a day. “Do we really want to live in a world where the 1 percent own more than the rest of us combined?” Ms. Byanyima said. “The scale of global inequality is quite simply staggering.”

Investors with interests in finance, insurance and health saw the biggest windfalls, Oxfam said. Using data from Forbes magazine’s list of billionaires, it said those listed as having interests in the pharmaceutical and health care industries saw their net worth jump by 47 percent. The charity credited those individuals’ rapidly growing fortunes in part to multimillion-dollar lobbying campaigns to protect and enhance their interests.

(www.nytimes.com. Adaptado.)

A partir das informações apresentadas sobre o relatório da Oxfam, a resposta esperada por Winnie Byanyima à sua pergunta “Do we really want to live in a world where the 1 percent own more than the rest of us combined?” seria: