From 12 minute flights to private jets galore: “Climate criminal” celebrities ranked

According to an analysis of @CelebJets data by sustainability-focused data and tech agency Yard Group, pop star Taylor Swift was the biggest emitter of CO2 this year when it came to flying private.

The research found she spent nearly 16 full days’ worth of time in the air this year, emitting 8,293.54 tonnes of CO2 and travelling an average of 140 miles per flight.

“It’s easy to get lost in the dazzling lives of the rich and famous, but unfortunately, they’re a massive part of the CO2e problem we have with the aviation industry,” Yard’s sustainability director Chris Butterworth wrote. “Aviation is responsible for 2.4% of human-produced CO2e every year, and research shows a vast divide between the super-rich and the rest of us regarding flights, travel, and even general emissions,” he added.

The Kardashian and Jenner clan were serial offenders when it came to luxury short-haul trips. Kim Kardashian took four flights of under 20 minutes over the last two months, according to data from @CelebJets. Her half-sister, Kylie Jenner, took twice as many flights, the tracker found.

Drake’s private Boeing 767 – known as “AirDrake” – made five short flights in the same period. Drake’s plane reportedly released the most planet-heating emissions of all in the dataset due to its massive size. The Boeing 767 emitted 21 tonnes of CO2 on the five trips. This is the equivalent of emissions to four US homes’ electricity use for a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Drake attempted to defend the short flights in a recent social media post by saying that an 18-minute trip between Hamilton, Ontario, and Toronto was, in fact, empty.

“This is just them moving planes to whatever airport they are being stored at for anyone who was interested in the logistics … nobody takes that flight,” he commented on a post detailing his planet-damaging flights.

See below for the list of celebrities who are serial CO2 emitters:

10. Travis Scott (CO2 flight emissions this year: 3,033.3 tonnes)

9. Oprah Winfrey (CO2 flight emissions this year: 3,493.17 tonnes)

8. Mark Wahlberg (CO2 flight emissions this year: 3,772.85 tonnes)

7. Kim Kardashian (CO2 flight emissions this year: 4,268.5 tonnes)

6. Steven Spielberg (CO2 flight emissions this year: 4,465 tonnes)

5. Blake Shelton (CO2 flight emissions this year: 4,495 tonnes)

4. A-Rod (CO2 flight emissions this year: 5,342.7 tonnes)

3. Jay-Z (CO2 flight emissions this year: 6,981.3 tonnes)

2. Floyd Mayweather (CO2 flight emissions this year: 7,076.8 tonnes)

1. Taylor Swift (CO2 flight emissions this year: 8,293.54 tonnes)