It's common knowledge that money can buy you privacy. The rich will often choose large properties over small apartments, private limos over public transportation, and private jets over commercial planes.
Unfortunately, bigger spaces and private transportation come at a higher cost to the environment, especially private jets.
In the r/NoStupidQuestions subreddit, one user posed a question about the ethics of flying and yachting privately.
"Is it reasonable for a millionaire to donate to plant trees to compensate [for] carbon emissions from yachts and jets?" they asked.
In a study published under an article titled "Communications Earth & Environment," it was reported that private jet users produced more total carbon pollution than the entire country of Tanzania. Pollution totaled at more than 16.5 million tons, with 69% of the flights originating in the U.S.
Private jets are only used by 0.003% of the world's people, but a staggering amount of the flights counted in the study — roughly 900,000 — were flights under 31 miles, and many private flights go to waste by staying empty to return to their home airport.
Large private jets also produce more carbon pollution every hour than a person's regular activity in a year. No matter how many private cars a person takes or meaty meals they consume, it can never match a private jet user's carbon output.
As aviation is one of the hardest categories to decarbonize, every effort to reduce carbon pollution — such as producing paint that reduces the overall weight of airplanes — makes a big impact. Another exciting technology would be the addition of electric air taxis to reduce big city traffic.
As for superyachts, they use an excessive amount of energy as they rarely reach top speed and act as floating hotels 99.9% of the year. They also produce 860 times more carbon pollution in a year than a single human.
On average, the commenters were supportive of millionaires doing anything to balance out their carbon impact, but the gestures wouldn't replace the damage.
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Definitely 👍 One user replied, "No amount of trees undoes the damage they cause."
Another said, "Is this all said millionaire is doing to mitigate their carbon footprint? Are they at the same time supporting politicians that oppose combating climate change or even acknowledge its existence?"
A third commented, "It's a nice gesture but hardly one that will compensate for the pollution."
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