While the rest of us have been fretting about recycling and using paper straws, a new study shows that the super-wealthy have been polluting more than ever.
Despite being owned by just 0.003 per cent of the population, research shows that private jets of the rich make an ‘outsized’ contribution to climate change.
Scientists from Linnaeus University in Sweden found that private jets produced 15.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2023, up 46 per cent from 2019.
The most frequent fliers each churned out 2,400 tonnes of emissions in 2023 – more than 500 times as much as the average individual.
Last year, ultra-rich jet owners – including the likes of pop star Taylor Swift and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos – flew for almost 26,000 hours over 4,301,561 individual flights.
However, the researchers argue that a sizeable amount of these journeys could have been made by car or other means of transport.
Almost half the private jet flights made in 2023 covered less than 310 miles (500km) – about the distance from Edinburgh to London – while almost 5 per cent travelled less than 31 miles (50km).
Lead author Professor Stefan Gössling told : ‘It indeed shows that we have many individuals among the very wealthy with outsized carbon footprints.’
Researchers have found that private jets produced more than 15.6 million tonnes of CO2 in 2023. This map shows the 4.3 million private flights accessed as part of the study between 2019 and 2023
Billionaires and celebrities like Taylor Swift (pictured) are among the world’s biggest polluters. The study found that some private jet users produced 500 times more emissions than the average person in 2023
Taylor Swift’s private jet (pictured) flew for more than 22,923 minutes in 2022 and created over 8,000 tonnes of CO2, according to a prior study by data firm Yard
Professor Gössling and his colleagues analysed flight data from 18,655,789 private flights flown by 25,993 ‘business jet-type’ private aircraft between 2019 and 2023.
Using each jet’s fuel consumption, flight times, and trajectory they were able to calculate how much CO2 each flight produced.
On average, each flight produced around 3.6 tonnes of CO2 – just a tonne less than an individual Briton produces in an entire year.
While the amount of flights being taken dipped during the Covid pandemic, the ultra-rich made more private flights in 2023 than ever before.
In total, private emissions contributed approximately 1.8 per cent of all emissions produced by aviation in 2023.
However, this massive carbon footprint is concentrated within just a handful of individuals around the world.
Industry estimates suggest that private aviation is used by 256,000 elite people with a collective wealth of $31 trillion (£23.85 trillion).
Despite being home to just 4 per cent of the world’s population, 68 per cent of all private jets were registered in the US.
Taylor Swift, seen here aboard her private jet in the documentary Miss Americana, used her jet to travel an average distance of just 140 miles (225 km) in 2023
Jeff Bezos’ two private jets spent nearly 25 days in flight in 2023 and produced as much CO2 as the average US citizen would in 207 years
Brazil had the second-highest number (3.5 per cent) of the world’s jets followed by Canada, Germany, Mexico, and the UK.
However, it was Malta which had the highest concentration of private aircraft with over 46 private jets per 100,000 residents.
This elite group of private jet owners includes some of the world’s wealthiest individuals and most well-known celebrities.
Studies have shown that Taylor Swift is the celeb who produces the most emissions due to her frequent jet use.
In 2022, even before the start of the Era’s tour, researchers estimated that Taylor’s jet spent 22,923 minutes in flight and produced 8,293.54 tonnes of CO2.
That means the queen of pop created 1,184 times more emissions than the average person just to get around.
Shockingly, Taylor’s average flight time was just 80 minutes and only covered 139 miles (225km) – a distance that the star easily could have driven.
Likewise, Jeff Bezos’ two private jets spent nearly 25 days in flight in 2023 and produced as much CO2 as the average US citizen would in 207 years.
A handful of ‘global public figures’ produced an outsized contribution to climate change thanks to their repeated use of private jets
The analysis shows that flights tended to spike in the summer and on weekends. Jets are likely being used for leisure despite being a tax-deductible business expense in the US
In addition to revealing the carbon cost of living a jet-set lifestyle, the data also hints at how these private jets are being used.
Professor Gössling and his colleagues found that private jet use peaked on weekends and in the summer, suggesting that they are largely used for leisure.
This is despite the fact that private jet flights can be written off as a tax-deductible business expense in the US.
‘We show that many of their flights are leisure, not business,’ says Professor Gössling.
Likewise, the researchers found that major international events were associated with particularly high volumes of private jet use.
During COP28 – a climate change conferenced in Dubai last year – there were 644 private flights producing 4,800 tonnes of CO2.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup, meanwhile, was associated with 1,846 private flights which produced 14,700 tonnes of CO2.
Interestingly, the researchers also spotted a significant overlap between jets attending different international events.
This map shows the private flights travelling to the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The researchers found that international events were associated with big spikes in private jet use (illustrated). For example, the 2022 FIFA World Cup was associated with 1,846 private flights which produced 14,700 tonnes of CO2
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For example, of the 595 aircraft which attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, 172 also served the Cannes Film Festival.
However, since many jets are chartered, it isn’t necessarily clear whether this represents the same individuals.
The researchers argue that, although these jets produce a small amount of CO2 compared to total global emissions, it is key that these ultra-high-wealth individuals face more scrutiny.
In light of these findings, Professor Gössling is calling for policies which would force rich individuals to pay more for their flights.
That includes preventing people from writing off their leisure flights as business expenses, adding a carbon cost of 600 (£500) per tonne, and ‘drastically’ increasing landing fees to prevent short flights.
Professor Gössling concludes: ‘If we do not force the highest emitters to pay the cost of their emissions, how can we ask anybody else?’