8 Times Elites Took Private Jet Trips…And Then Chastised You For Climate Change

On average, one person emits 7 metric tons of carbon emissions in a year’s time, a statistic often used to guilt everyday people into trying to reach “net zero.” We’re told to rapidly eliminate fossil fuels, eat less meat, and use less electricity to “lead by example in tackling the climate crisis.” The Biden administration gave us a deadline of net zero emissions by 2050, so major corporations, billionaires, and household name celebs alike have started doing their part to speak out about preventing climate-related catastrophes.

So why then are the same, highly influential voices just talking the talk and not walking the walk? Elites love their yachts, private jets, and large properties that require massive energy resources and emit extremely high levels of C02 in the air compared to the average person’s 7 metric tons per year. And hey, I see nothing wrong with people who’ve earned their keep enjoying their toys and palatial properties. 

Either these elites genuinely believe their opinions on climate, and they’re totally ignorant of their own hypocrisy, or they don’t believe what they’re touting at all and would rather just reprimand us average people for our own “climate impact” that we can’t honestly do much about. Without further ado, here are some of the loudest environmentalist celebs who just can’t stop racking up their own personal carbon emissions.

When Steven Spielberg Spent $116,000 on Private Jet Fuel in Two Months

World-renowned director Steven Spielberg has confidently shared his feelings that he is terrified of global warming and can’t stand the fact that people “go blithely through life” disregarding the “real, measurable, quantifiable science” about climate change.

Yet, Spielberg himself appears to be not only going blithely through life, but going intently through life, increasing his own personal carbon footprint instead of doing his part to combat climate change. 

Recently, flight tracking data revealed that in a two-month timespan, Spielberg racked up a private jet fuel bill of $116,000 across 17,000 total flight miles. Just those two months alone equals 179 tons of C02 emissions, and to make matters worse, the database, ADS-B Exchange, actually thinks that’s an underestimate.

“We are going to have to have a kind of confrontation with destiny unless we do something about it today,” Spielberg once said. So, regular American, make sure you do your part today to make up for those 179 tons of carbon dioxide emissions!

When Kylie Jenner Couldn’t Decide If She Wanted To Take Her or Boyfriend Travis Scott’s Private Jet

Perhaps meant to be an aesthetic, Insta-worthy family portrait, Kylie Jenner recently flaunted her personal wealth by posting a photo of her, boyfriend Travis Scott, and daughter Stormi next to their private jets. Scott’s jet, the Embraer E-series jet, was purchased in 2020 for $72M, and Jenner’s $72.8M Bombardier Global 7500 was also purchased in 2020. In the past, she has used her jet to fly for a mere three minutes instead of hopping in one of her many cars, and she even took a jet to pick up her sister Kendall for lunch. 

Kylie was understandably roasted online for this tone-deaf move, given she and her sisters have touted eco-friendly products and have made Instagram posts saying “Be nice to our planet.”

“Why do I have to limit my meat consumption and use paper straws while the 1% gets to pump tons of carbon into the atmosphere for a day trip to Palm Springs?” said one Instagram commenter.

When Taylor Swift Took 170 Private Jet Flights in Less Than One Year

Taylor Swift’s average flight time is 80 minutes, with the shortest being 36 minutes of air time. Vulture once called her the Reigning Queen of Pop, but now I’m wondering if she should be called the Queen of Carbon Emissions. Sustainability experts Yard did a study on which celebs were the worst C02-emission offenders, and Taylor Swift topped the charts. To be fair, Swift’s spokespeople claim that she loans her jet out to other people. Does that totally exonerate her? I’ll let you be the judge of that one.

Meanwhile, Swift has alleged that climate change is a “horrific” situation that inspires her songwriting and, among other progressive viewpoints, leads her to urge fans to vote blue and “hopefully stoke some fires politically.”

When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Trotted the Globe 21 Times on Private Jets in Two Years

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex claim on the website for their organization Archewell to have a “long-standing commitment to the planet.” They pontificate about how almost every aspect of our daily lives increases our carbon emissions, from our reliance on big industries to our electricity needs, what we eat, and of course, “our transport and the frequency of it.”

Let’s all pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions, say Meghan and Harry, meaning we have to actively offset our personal footprints by making tough choices and doing better. In fact, they’re so passionate about taking action to combat climate change that Meghan and Harry took a Dassault Falcon 2000 jet to fly to New York for the eco-warrior Global Citizen Live concert, where they preached to the crowd about going green.

You need to go green, but the Duke and Duchess apparently have a guilt-free pass to globetrot in comfort and style as they took 21 private jet trips in the timespan of early 2019 to fall 2021.

“There's a lot of people that say, but this is about action. Every single raindrop that falls from the sky relieves the parched ground. What if every single one of us was a raindrop? And if every single one of us cared, which we do, because we have to care because at the end of the day nature is our life source,” said Harry in a video message launching the environmental-focused streaming service platform WaterBear.

When Leonardo DiCaprio Sued “Big Oil” at the Same Time He Flew Private and Sailed on Long Yacht Trips

Our friends over at the World Economic Forum awarded Leonardo DiCaprio with their Crystal Award for “leadership in tackling the climate crisis” back in 2016…the same WEF in Davos, Switzerland that DiCaprio flew in a private jet to attend. He’s a “messenger of peace” for climate change activism, according to the United Nations, and his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation litigiously targets oil companies through grant funding. He’s such a staunch environmentalist, his Instagram bio reads “Actor and Environmentalist.”

But DiCaprio also loves a good private yacht experience and is no stranger to taking multiple roundtrip excursions on private jets in very short periods of time. Like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, DiCaprio also appears to enjoy increasing his own carbon footprint by traveling private to attend climate-focused fundraising events.

"Climate change is real. It is happening right now. It’s the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people out there who would be most affected by this,” said DiCaprio when he finally received his “Best Actor” accolades at the 2016 Academy Awards.

When John Kerry Was Named Presidential Climate Envoy Despite His Private Jet Habits

In the current administration, John Kerry is the Presidential Climate Envoy. The New York Times called his climate coalition “star-studded,” and the Environmental Defense Fund insists that he’s one of the “world’s most effective climate champions.” Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has traveled the world preaching progressive climate policy and warning about how we’re running out of time to save the planet. 

Yet, Kerry doesn’t seem that fearful at all about the climate crisis he lectures us all about. Halfway through 2021, data was released which showed that Kerry’s personal family jet had already taken 16 trips, emitting over 300 metric tons of C02. Massachusetts to New Jersey, excursions for vacations in Idaho’s Sun Valley, Martha’s Vineyard to Boston, and much more, it seems a bit peculiar that President Biden’s Special Presidential Envoy for Climate would be jet-setting in style while preaching to Americans about reducing our own carbon emissions.

In fact, John Kerry is such a private jet connoisseur that he took one all the way to Iceland in 2019 to receive a climate-related award! His reasoning was that he didn’t have time to sail, but he failed to even address whether or not he could have flown commercial. Had he flown commercial among with many other passengers, he could have reduced his personal carbon emissions 40 times, but this was, as he put it, “the only choice for somebody like me.” 

When James Cameron Gave a Shoutout to Eco-Terrorism While Making a Massive Carbon Footprint

Brains behind the movie Avatar, director James Cameron once said, “I believe in eco-terrorism,” and that “future generations were going to be left with a world that’s in shambles because of climate change.” 

People need to “wake the f**k up” about the environmental impact their food preferences have,” according to James Cameron. “The real solution is: change the way you live.”

We need to change the way that we live, but James Cameron is welcome to enjoy his fleet of submarines (one, named Triton, is about $3 million), helicopter, yacht, dirt bikes, multiple cars, motorcycles, and of course, a Humvee! Oh, don’t forget about the three homes with heated swimming pools too.

When Katy Perry Used Her Private Plane To Deliver Fake Nails to Kim K

Once upon a time, Katy Perry was a featured UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador calling for action on man-made climate change. “Let’s encourage our world leaders to take this issue seriously,” she said in a #FightUNfair campaign video.

She has also been noted by Vogue as liking “to make a statement,” and boy, does she do “it big.” From private flights to the Met Gala a few years back with her dog, Nugget, to private jet treks all the way to Sydney Airport for a three-month stay with boyfriend Orlando Bloom, Perry lives the high life.

What’s more, Perry apparently used her private plane to fly fake nails over to Kim Kardashian back in 2018…yikes!

Closing Thoughts

Look, nobody is perfect. I’d never expect even the most passionate voices within environmentalist movements to be able to reach their own personal net zero. That said, it feels pretty patronizing to be told that I need to live more sustainably by the same people who enjoy extravagant, wasteful lifestyles. Spare me the finger-wagging if you’re not even going to try to live up to your own, impossible standards.

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