When it was discovered that Taylor Swift’s choice to fly by private jet wasn’t the best option for the environment in 2022, many people criticized her. With her “Eras Tour,” Swift has been touring the globe, and many have chastised her for encouraging such conduct.
Swift wasn’t the only famous person to face criticism for their choice of airline, either.
Since the late 1990s, Leonardo DiCaprio has been a vocal environmentalist. Given his well-known opinions on climate change, DiCaprio was recognized in 2016 with an award for his commitment to the cause. However, the actor faced criticism for flying not one, but two private jets when traveling to claim the aforementioned award.
DiCaprio was being called a hypocrite by some because of the seeming contradiction between his words and deeds.
For Using Two Private Jets to Travel Between Events, Leonardo Dicaprio Was Criticized as a Hypocrite
One of Hollywood’s leading proponents of climate change is Leonardo DiCaprio. When it comes to protecting the environment, he is never silent.
That does not imply that his personal behavior has always adhered to these ideals, though. When DiCaprio traveled 8,000 miles on a private plane to accept an award associated with his environmental work in 2016, he faced criticism. The actor was singled out by several for being a hypocrite.
Page Six claims that DiCaprio returned to France for a fund-raiser the following evening after accepting the trophy aboard a private plane from Cannes. A day later, DiCaprio was recognized by the clean-water advocacy group Riverkeeper and spoke at amfAR’s glamorous Cinema Against AIDS event.
An official for DiCaprio stated in an email, “He was invited to speak at events for both Riverkeeper and amfAR, but the only way to attend both fundraisers was by catching rides on already scheduled flights.”
“Leo helped both events raise millions, donated his own funds, put his house up for auction, and had speaking roles in both programs,” the representative continued.
A critic of DiCaprio’s extravagant lifestyle, Robert Rapier, an environmental analyst, argued that it “diminishes his moral authority to lecture others on reducing their own carbon emissions.”
“[He] demonstrates precisely why our consumption of fossil fuels continues to grow,” Rapier continued. It’s because their cost-convenience ratio is so appealing to all. Alternatives typically involve some sort of sacrifice. “I have a good reason for consuming what I consume,” is a common statement. The justification is the same for billions of people.
In 2019, DiCaprio emphasized, “As an actor, I pretend for a living,” during a speech about climate change. I solve imaginary difficulties while portraying fictional characters.
“I think that humanity has approached climate change in the same way—as if it were a fiction, happening to someone else’s planet, as if denying its existence would somehow make it go away,” he continued.
Leonardo Dicaprio Isn’t the Only Celebrity Criticized for Their Choice of Air Travel
Taylor Swift is undoubtedly very wealthy because she has millions of followers and big songs. It’s this benefit that has sparked criticism of Swift’s carbon footprint.
8,293.54 metric tons of carbon were released by her private jet in the last seven months, according to a research produced by the sustainability marketing company Yard. As per the research, that amounts to “1,184.8 times more than the average person’s total annual emissions.”
The @celebjets Twitter account provided the data for Yard’s study. According to the study, Swift’s aircraft has made 170 journeys and flown for more than 22,923 minutes since the beginning of 2022. That would be sixteen days in equivalent.
The average flight duration was found to be 80 minutes, and the aircraft covered about 139.36 miles. The shortest flight, which took place from Missouri to Nashville, Tennessee, lasted for thirty-six minutes.
But Swift’s group jumped to her defense right away. Taylor’s representative informed E! News that “Taylor’s jet is loaned out to other individuals on a regular basis.” “To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect.”
Before Team Swift responded, the report quickly became popular on Twitter and inspired a number of jokes.
Videos of airplanes flying in the skies were being posted by a lot of users. “Video of Taylor Swift going to get a glass of water” was one caption. “Taylor Swift going to her living room from her bedroom,” another user said.
A user submitted a clip from Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” music video, in which a jet hovers dangerously close to Gaga’s head. It was an especially interesting post. It was referred to as Swift’s “cameo” by the user.
But not all of her admirers were making jokes. On Reddit, a number of Swifties criticized the “Blank Space” singer in comments.
“To be honest, I’m really shocked by this. Celebrities are stressing the need to cut emissions more and more, but these ridiculous overconsumptions must be reined down, one admirer remarked. “As much as I adore Taylor, after seeing this, I could never take any of her statements regarding the climate seriously. I genuinely believe she is capable of doing better.”
“I love Taylor.” “This is morally wrong of her, and I also think rich people have learned to prioritize their comfort and freedom over the rest of us having a safe climate. I also have a strong negative opinion of the celebrity private jet culture,” another person said.
Swift has the option to use her private plane less frequently or not at all. What is certain, though, is that Swift is not the only celebrity who has this issue; it is a widespread one.
At the age of 24, Leonardo DiCaprio Started An Environmental Nonprofit
At the age of 24, DiCaprio founded the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, a nonprofit organization, in 1998. The organization aimed to combat climate change and promote increased environmental discourse. This was carried out before environmental problems gained the general attention they do now.
- During the charity’s 20th anniversary celebration in 2018, DiCaprio disclosed that since its founding, the organization has contributed $100 million to over 200 eco-friendly projects.
- The LDF joined forces with Global Wildlife Conservation and Emerson Collective the next year to form Earth Alliance.
- Earth Alliance is a nonprofit organization that promotes biodiversity preservation and combats climate change.
In an interview with Wired in 2015, DiCaprio discussed his love of the environment in detail. During the conversation, DiCaprio revealed that seeing Imax documentaries as a child initially piqued his interest in the subject.
Following the release of Titanic, he made the decision to become involved in environmental causes, which completely altered the trajectory of his career. DiCaprio disclosed that he was inspired to become involved by an exchange he had with Al Gore.
“I was fortunate enough to meet with Al Gore at the White House. Taking out a chalkboard, he sketched Earth and its surrounding atmosphere. Remember, this was seventeen or eighteen years ago. He says, “If you want to get involved in environmental issues, this is something not a lot of people are talking about… but climate change is the single greatest threat to humanity that we’ve ever had,” according to DiCaprio.
“That put me on this path,” he went on. In 1999, we held Earth Day. I established a foundation. I began to voice my opinions regarding the matter. Then, of course, Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth was out, and I believe that had a significant impact on everyone.”
DiCaprio stated to Deadline that “there is a ticking clock” in reference to climate change when promoting the movie Don’t Look Up in 2022.
“There is a global concern that those in power, including the private sector and governments, are not moving quickly enough,” DiCaprio stated. “We have a critical nine-year window.”
According to DiCaprio, he felt that his part in Don’t Look Up was significant because it would encourage viewers to talk about the problem. The time range he had just described was then further explained.
DiCaprio described what will occur after that nine-year period as follows: “When we reach a threshold where the thawing of the ice and the tundra and Greenland and the arctic starts to release even more carbon… we’re already seeing it happen.” “This is the reason this film is so significant. In actuality, the issue is one of media priorities.”
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