Image by Mika Baumeister.

Talk a walk through the Los Angeles’ Arts District, and you’ll learn that there’s nothing contradictory about trying to save the world and living a luxury lifestyle. Start your tour with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), which proudly displays a banner stating: “the future begins here.”

LACI is “a non- profit organization creating an inclusive green economy” and run “by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs.” They are also supported by a “community” that includes not only the City of Los Angeles but also BMW, Wells Fargo, United Airlines, and JPMorgan Chase.

Across the street, there’s Urth Caffé, a high-end chain offering 100 percent organic and locally sourced goods. Nearby art galleries and boutiques sell handcrafted natural products and upcycled accoutrements.

The Arts District offers the dream of the “sustainability class”—a growing class of do-gooders, with disposable income and high education, for whom green consumption and innovation go hand in hand. But something doesn’t feel right. Can they really save the world one locally sourced ayurvedic turmeric latté or EV charging station at a time?

In fact, luxury and sustainability are fundamentally at odds. The richest 10%— including anyone who earns over $120,000 per year—are responsible for 50% of the world’s carbon emissions. This doesn’t even factor in their investments, which include stocks in some of the world’s most polluting........

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