Kylie Jenner is among the 1% whose private jet use contributes 50% of CO2 global aviation emissions. Are fans right to call her a “climate criminal”?
Convenient or Extravagant?
On July 13th, Kylie Jenner, founder of Kylie Cosmetics, took a 17-minute flight on her private jet. The world’s youngest self-made billionaire traveled from Camarillo, California, US, to Van Nuys, California, US.
A quick google maps search reveals that the distance traveled was approx. 39.3 miles. A journey that would take an estimated 43 minutes in one of Jenner’s luxury cars.
@Celebjets, a Twitter account that tracks the journeys of celebrities made in their private jets, initially tweeted that the flight lasted only three minutes. However Jack Sweeney, the account creator later tweeted a correction. Sweeney explained that the flight was in fact, 17 minutes long—making it one of Jenner’s longer flights that he has tracked recently.
Since Jenner’s short flight, her older sister Kim Kardashian took a 10-minute flight, Mark Walhberg flew for 11- minutes and Drake’s jet was in the air for approximately 14 minutes. While Jenner’s flight might have been the one to catch Twitter’s attention, it appears celebrities taking advantage of their private jets is not a one-off.
Jenner immediately received backlash on social media for her apparent disregard of the environmental impact of private jets. Criticized as a “climate criminal” many questioned her decision, and in fact, her ability, to use such a mode of transport during a time meteorologists are predicting a climate crisis.
Environmental Impact
Other users became frustrated. They claimed, that while they make efforts to offset the damage done to the climate, actions of the top 1% seem to undo the sacrifices made by the rest of the population.
According to transportenvrionemnt.org: “private jets have a disproportionate impact on the environment”. Estimates suggest that Jenner’s trip would have produced one ton of carbon dioxide emissions. This equates to about a quarter of the yearly carbon footprint of the average person.
Further data from transportenvrionemnt.org shows that since 2005, CO2 emissions from private jets have increased by 31% in Europe. The speed at which CO2 emissions from these jets are growing is much faster than in commercial aviation. This implies that the 1% of the population who utilize private aviation dramatically impacts the speed at which global CO2 levels rise.
In the aftermath of Jenner’s flight, it has been suggested that celebs who make shorter flights do so for parking purposes. The theory is that celebs fly into their chosen airport, perhaps one closest to their desired location. They then park their jets at more convenient and cheaper hangers. An even more extravagant action, or a justified choice?
There are of course reasons that high-profile celebs opt for private jets. The increased security risk associated with traveling is heavily decreased when flying privately. Additionally, the owner of the jet is in control of the schedule, meaning celebs can attend and fly anytime, anywhere with ease. For busy entrepreneurs like Jenner and Kardashian this is of course a positive.
However, at what cost? Temperatures in the UK surpassed 40 degrees in July and year after year bush fires worldwide worsen. How much longer will we excuse the extravagance?
