The world’s richest one per cent should leave smaller carbon footprints

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Warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, and uncontrollable weather extremes are now part of our reality. These signs of distress by our planet were once neglected and shrugged off in North America, but are now felt more than ever. 

Businessmen, celebrities, legislators, and ordinary citizens need to act and engage in reducing our carbon footprint, but the gap of the rich and influential continues to show.

The recent buzz about celebrities using their private jets became the talk of the town. No average person can take a 20-minute flight to get from one town to another, and the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by a short single flight is five to 14 times more than a commercial plane, which typically has more than a handful of people on board. 

Researchers have found using a private aircraft emits more than 33 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year, which is more than the country of Denmark and 50 times higher than trains. 

Although the aviation industry says that private jets only cause four per cent of their carbon emissions, based on a 2016 study, we cannot say the same thing today with more rich and wealthy personalities doing it all the time — and for such short trips. 

Ordinary people, even with little means of money or influence, strive to leave as little carbon footprint as possible, but it goes the other way for the wealthy it seems. 

The personal Boeing 767 aircraft of Canadian rapper Drake travelled a seven-minute flight, a 12-minute flight, and a 14-minute flight, all between nearby cities of Toronto and Hamilton. The 14-minute trip alone burned 426 gallons of fuel causing four tons of carbon emissions, which is comparable to the total carbon footprint produced by an average person in a year. 

Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner reportedly have 12 of 36 flights under 20-minutes recorded in a span of two months. A flight requires 81 gallons of fuel and emitted one tonne of carbon dioxide, which is compared to a six month emission of a gas-powered car. 

Big names like Floyd Mayweather, Jay-Z, and Taylor Swift are seated at the top of the Yard Group’s list. Swift is the biggest emitter among celebrities, with almost 16 days worth of time in the air this year and an average of 140 miles per flight — contributing 8,293.54 tonnes of carbon emissions in total.  

There’s nothing wrong with owning aircrafts and luxurious cars, but the lavish, unnecessary, and inconsiderate use is what people are calling them out for. There are always alternatives they can utilize that are kinder to the warming planet.

Opt for using their cars when travelling short distances instead and allot more time for land travel if their work or personal errands can be attained by driving. They can still travel incognito using their vehicles if they are concerned with their security and the crowds. Taking their staff or crew with them on their private aircrafts for work is also a much better option than wasting fuel with a single flight alone or with only a couple people. 

The growing climate emergency centers on how big the impact of human activity has had on our environment reaching a point of irreversible consequences. Rich and influential people have more than enough money to re-evaluate how they spend their lifestyles to be environmentally friendly.

Some of them may have their foundations and donate to many nonprofits, but they should practice what they preach and not only offer compensation with their money.