Celebrity CO2 Emissions: Taylor Swift Leaves A Trail Of Smoke, Tops The List: Check Out The Other Names

Thursday, August 4, 2022, 19:06

A recent study by the sustainability marketing agency Yard examined celebrities' use of private planes to track carbon emissions and identify those who contribute the most to climate change and global warming. In terms of CO2 emissions from private jets, Taylor Swift ranks first - and oh boy, is the internet over-flowing with memes [1].

From 1 January 1 to 19 July 2022, the singer's jet emitted 8,293.54 tonnes of carbon dioxide. According to the study, total flight emissions are 1,184.8 times higher than an individual's annual emissions. In perspective, it is over 482.37 times more than the average person who flies commercially, only seven tonnes per year.

According to Yard, the study was based on data obtained from the Twitter account @CelebJets, which tracks the private jet travels of celebrities. The data was compiled from the beginning of 2022 and included the number of flights each star took, average flight times, miles, and total carbon dioxide emissions.

What Are CO2 Emissions? How Does It Affect The Nature?

Carbon dioxide emissions, or CO2, are caused by burning fossil fuels and manufacturing cement. The carbon dioxide produced during the consumption of solid, liquid, and gas fuels, as well as the flaring of gas, falls into this category [2].

CO2 emissions act as a blanket in the atmosphere, trapping heat and warming the planet. This layer prevents the Earth from cooling, thereby raising global temperatures. As a result, climate change will significantly impact environmental conditions, food and water supplies, weather patterns, and sea levels.

Carbon dioxide emissions can be attributed to both natural and human sources. Decomposition, ocean release, and respiration are all-natural sources. Among the human sources are cement production, deforestation, and burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas [3][4].

Swift's Rep Responds to Criticism Over Carbon Emissions

"Taylor's jet is loaned out regularly to other individuals," a spokesperson for Swift told The Hollywood Reporter. "To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect" [5].

Swifties - the Taylor Swift fandom is defending their idol's private jet usage, stating that the information on CO2 emissions is misleading and uninformed. Some researchers have criticised the Yard's report stating that it is not research but a compilation of someone else's data. It was also pointed out that Yard got their numbers wrong with Mark Wahlberg and Kim Kardashian.

Singer-rapper Drake has also been criticized recently for allegedly taking several short flights in his private jet. In response to the criticism, the God's Plan singer claimed that he was not aboard the aircraft at the time of the incident.

"This is just them moving planes to whatever airport they are being stored at for anyone who was interested in the logistics," he wrote in the comments underneath a post about the controversy. "Nobody takes that flight."

Also on Yard's list, Kylie Jenner came under fire last month for allegedly taking a 17-minute flight on her private jet, shorter than the time Bengalureans spend in the Silk Board traffic. "You wanna take mine or yours?" she captioned a picture of her and her boyfriend, Travis Scott, in front of their private jets. The internet also labelled them "climate criminals".

In response to the post, social media users accused stars of jetting around "like they're in an Uber". But, according to critics, it generated 0.24 tonnes of CO2.