Celebrities’ Private Jet Flights Are Contributing To The Climate Crisis
The relationship between celebrity-owned private jets and climate change have become a hot button issue on social media.
Private air travel generates 5-14 times more carbon emissions than commercial flights, according to Transport & Environment, a collective of non-profit organizations that advocate for sustainable transportation.
Kim Kardashian and Drake are among many A-listers that rely on jets as their main mode of transportation, contributing to the global climate crisis.
University of Central Florida student Jack Sweeney created a website called GRNDCNTRL, a platform that tracks public figures’ flights.
Elon Musk, Tesla founder and CEO of X, terminated his “CelebJets” account in 2022 for tracking flights taken on his five aircrafts. Musk found the information harmful to his family’s privacy.
Taylor Swift, who frequently travels on her private jet for concerts and leisure, is arguably the center of this controversy, with viral memes and TikToks joking about her excessive travel.
According to a NewsWeek article, Swift “traveled nearly 37,053 miles, generating 77.5 tons of [CO2 in] 113 flight hours,” during the United States’ portion of her Eras tour.
The singer, along with Elon Musk, are the main subjects of Sweeney’s air traffic platform.
Back in February, Swift’s legal team issued a cease and desist letter to Sweeney with claims of stalking and sharing private information.
The student shared his thoughts on the letter after posting it on social media.
He wrote, “one should reasonably expect that their jet will be tracked, whether or not I’m the one doing it, as it is public information after all.”
Yard, an English-based digital marketing agency, released data in 2022 regarding celebrities’ private jet usage, annual carbon emissions and flight duration.
Rapper and billionaire Jay-Z has taken 136 flights on his private jet, which according to reports emitted 6,981.3 metric tons of CO2.
Mark Wahlberg’s jet emitted more than 3772.85 metric tons of CO2, with 29 minutes as his shortest flight time on a trip from Van Nuys, California to Palm Springs.
The list goes on but it’s clear that the wealthy share some responsibility for the current climate crisis.
It’s understandable for celebrities to choose private jets for safety, privacy or convenience, but for them to preach about climate consciousness to individuals of lower class is hypocritical.
Considering the state of our planet’s health, people with platforms for change should lead by example. Enough with the performative activism.
