Climate activism and celebrity transport together show hypocrisy

With the dangers of climate change becoming more apparent day by day, the famous and wealthy have used their positions to spread awareness about the cause. However, celebrity support of climate change awareness paired with the environmentally harmful habits of said celebrities is an issue on its own. Those who have spoken in support of climate action often contribute major damage to the environment on their own. The use of private transport — such as jets — is incredibly harmful to the atmosphere. 

The use of private transport provides far more damage to the environment than many would think. According to a study done by the European organization Transport and Environment, private jets emit 5-to-14 times more carbon dioxide per passenger than commercial airliners. Private aerial transport is a luxury of the rich; harming the environment for personal comfort.

The hypocritical nature of the rich also serves to delegitimize climate reform as a movement. 

Personal methods of travel provide a target for those who disagree with climate activism to use in discrediting their opposition. In that way, it can reduce climate reformers to internal conflict as people form differing opinions and solutions to the problem of private jet usage. Climate change reform is already a highly fragmented movement, and further division slows down the achievement of climate goals.

Supporters of famous climate activists argue that it is the celebrity’s choice to use private transport. While that may be correct, it does not change the fact that it is incredibly damaging to both the environment itself and the movement as a whole. Even low-density private transportation opposes a common goal of climate change reform. Many supporters of the movement want denser transportation methods — such as high speed trains and railway networks — due to their large capacity and comparatively low carbon dioxide emissions. Private jets carry very few people and produce large amounts of pollutants; they are far worse for the environment compared to other methods of transportation. 

Climate change activism is a noble cause, and any attention to it has the potential to help the movement. However, it is hypocritical at best for the rich to support the ideology while damaging the environment. The personal choice of a celebrity should not harm others; it is an obligation on the part of climate activists to practice what they preach.