Taylor Swift Faces Immense Backlash Over Outstanding Jet Use
Taylor Swift is again under scrutiny for emitting significant CO2 in her private jet usage as she travels to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, during this football season.
According to a 2023 research paper from University College London, private jet trips are the most carbon-intensive, producing 9x more carbon per passenger than commercial flights.
Taylor Swift after taking her private jet back to Vegas in time for the second half of the Superbowl pic.twitter.com/kQmFCCVNez
— Brant (@brantdubs) January 29, 2024
With the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, there’s speculation about Swift covering a 14,000-mile journey, from a concert in Tokyo on February 10 to the game in Las Vegas on February 11 and then to Melbourne in time for her next show on February 16, reigniting the debate over private plane owners’ responsibility for emissions.
Carbon emissions contribute to climate change, leading to rising temperatures and extreme weather events. These emissions result in air pollution, impacting human health and the environment.
Taylor Swift’s reliance on her $40 million private jet significantly amplifies her carbon footprint compared to an average individual yet she supports Joe biden’s climate change campaign, truly a double standard. pic.twitter.com/Ki8MhZq8VF
— harparr #IFBAP (@harparr1) January 30, 2024
Environmentalists like Greta Thunberg call for a private jet ban, mentioning, “It is clear that private jets are incompatible with ensuring present and future living conditions on this planet.”
Meanwhile, Bill Gates suggests carbon offsets—investments in projects such as renewable energy, reforestation, and methane capture. They’re designed to counterbalance greenhouse gas emissions by reducing or removing an equivalent amount of emissions elsewhere.
You want to know what caused this?
— Rob Johnson (Alpha Male) (@RobJohnson1969) January 29, 2024
Taylor Swift’s private jet pic.twitter.com/m6RRwRpVwq
The “Cruel Summer” singer’s publicist claims she buys these offsets, stating, “Taylor purchased more than double the carbon credits needed to offset all tour travel.”
Legal scholars and Congress propose taxing private jets, like the Fueling Alternative Transportation with a Carbon Aviation Tax (FATCAT) Act. Swift’s Falcon 900 and Falcon 7X’s tax could net $5.4 million.
Your daily reminder that Taylor Swift and her private jet is the number 1 polluting celebrity https://t.co/0W140ooAPz pic.twitter.com/lKeuylVC1c
— Neonblack (@Neonblack789) January 28, 2024
Canada taxes private jet sales, an approach the U.S. took between 1991-1993 that failed. The tax prompted some individuals to make their high-end purchases abroad to avoid the tax. Swift’s private jet operating costs amount to about $19 million annually. If taxed, the impact on her income would be minimal compared to her estimated $2 billion earnings last year.
Despite past tax challenges, alternatives like flying first class or watching events at home remain practical and environmentally friendly.