Stars and billionaires who use their private jets the most are labeled as climate offenders
Americans emit three times more than the global average, but that is nothing compared to the billionaires and celebrities who catch their private jets as often as someone else catch a bus or grab their car.
In 2021, per capita Carbon dioxide emissions globally reached 4.69 tons. Private jets are 14 times polluting than commercial planes. Despite everything celebrities know or often say about climate change, that doesn’t stop them from taking off to the skies in opulent style.
Private jets are the most polluting form of transport that you can take, and despite the growing dangers of climate change and ease of remote meetings. According to private jet analyst WINGX the use of private jets is 10% higher in 2023 compared to before the pandemic.
According to climatejets.org, the worst of all is Thomas Siebel, the founder of Siebel systems and AI company C3.ai, with 4,649 tons of CO2 emissions. The second worst is The Murdoch family with 4,537 tons.
The Murdoch family’s private jet doesn’t get much of a rest, with Rupert and his family flying around the world on business related to the right-wing news empire as well as personal fun; 90-year-old Rupert is getting remarried.
Among others, Mike Bloomberg with 3,196 tons. The billionaire and former mayor of New York city, although he pushes forward key efforts to fight climate change, he doesn’t exactly practice what he preaches.
Bill Gates with 3,058 tons, the billionaire contributed as much to climate change as 197 average Americans, but he told BBC that flying on his jets doesn’t make him ‘part of the problem’ because he invests billions in climate innovation and more than offsets his carbon emissions.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook/Meta, whose jet alone emited as much CO2 as 152 average americans, is among the worst climate offenders. An outspoken advocate for fighting climate change, in 2022, his family philanthropy organization commited $44 million to fund climate change solutions.
