Mark Zuckerberg called out for his private jet use
Topics: Facebook, Technology, Travel, Mark Zuckerberg
Tom Wood
Featured Image Credit: Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook/@ZuccJett/Twitter
Topics: Facebook, Technology, Travel, Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg has been the subject of criticism after racking up the miles in his private jet at great expense despite being outspoken about his climate change activism.
Now, of course it’s possible to both believe in being as environmentally conscious as possible and doing things that are harmful to the environment – some of us still use single use plastics, despite wanting to save the turtles, after all.
However, it’s less justifiable if you’re burning up thousands of dollars of jet fuel making journeys around in a private jet, isn’t it?
So, people have been laying into the Facebook and Meta owner for what they perceive to be double standards and hypocrisy on his part.
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He’d probably argue that he’s too recognisable to simply buy a ticket and board a flight, and maybe there’s something in that, but that doesn’t mean that the method of transport he chooses should be the most environmentally unsound one possible.
The tech billionaire owns a Gulfstream G650 which has consumed a reported $158,448 of fuel within the last few months – between August 20 and October 15 if you’re wanting the precise details.
That’s recorded on flight tracking software ADS-Exchange by Jack Sweeney, who famously tracked Elon Musk’s private jet.
He probably knows what he’s on about, basically.
Sweeney has tracked the jet flying across the length and breadth of the United States, visiting Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, and other states before heading back to the place we assume to be home for it, San Jose in California.
During that time, 253 metric tons of carbon have been discharged into the atmosphere by the jet, which is – you’ll no doubt understand – absolutely no good for climate change.
To throw that into contrast, the average American citizen is responsible for 16 tons of carbon every year, with the worldwide average down around four tons annually.
So, you can see that this is a lot to be getting through in just a matter of months.
This has attracted quite a bit of criticism online, with one person commenting: “All of these millionaires/billionaires are hypocrites.
“They want us peons to lower our standard of living in the name of 'climate change' - all while they keep their multiple mansions/pools/boats/cars/jets.”
Another said: “Hypocrite Zuckerberg's private jet burns incredible amounts of fuel despite being a climate activist.”
A third wrote: “In two months, the carbon footprint of Zuckerberg's jet was 15 times larger than the average American's annual carbon footprint...
“An outspoken proponent of climate change activism, [Zuckerberg] owns a private jet which burned more than $158,000 worth of jet fuel in less than two months.”
UNILAD has approached Mark Zuckerberg for a comment.