Celebrity 'climate criminals' are flying on private jets more than ever: But thanks to companies like CleanJoule, air travel is becoming more sustainable.

• Author: Dodson, Jack

IN JULY, the United Kingdom-based marketing firm Yard published a controversial list that compiled egregious examples of celebrities using their private jets to scoot across the planet without much regard for the cost of fossil fuels. The firm called the study "Just Plane Wrong."

"The purpose of this study is to highlight the damaging impact of private jet usage," the firm wrote in an edit to the original article. The edit was primarily written to clarify that while there was no way to be sure that the celebrities named were physically on the planes they referenced, the movements of these jets were public data and had been recorded making notoriously short trips.

Yard's list included A-list celebrities from music, sports, and film industries that had been caught jet-setting on private planes. Pop music star Taylor Swift, they noted, had been the biggest polluter of 2022 so far, with 22,923 minutes of flying time. The singer was not touring at the time but was flying for an average of only 80 minutes per trip, with the shortest being a 36-minute flight from Missouri to Nashville.

In the past several years, data analysis and automated programs that track planes--since their movements are a matter of public record--have confirmed to social media users that the ultra-rich are flagrantly ignoring the planet's well-being. For privacy and convenience, not to mention luxury, celebrities and the top wealth-holders turn to private jets for any and all travel, even flying for just a few minutes at a time.

Kylie Jenner, for example, was criticized heavily over the summer for a series of incredibly short flights within the Los Angeles area, most less than 20 minutes, and one even showing up as a three-minute flight, according to air traffic info.

Social media users have dubbed these celebrities "climate criminals."

The environmental emergency of private jets becomes clear with some data. Yard cited a particularly alarming figure in its research--that 15 percent of the population is responsible for 70 percent of all flights, including international ones. While this statistic comes from a slightly dated 2014 study by the UK government, it does reveal a massive disconnect between those who fly constantly and those who fly a couple of times per year, if at all.

And private jet owners, economically speaking, likely fall into the first category.

Other celebrities called out online included Steven Spielberg, Oprah, Drake, Mark Wahlberg, and Floyd Mayweather. The list of household names with private jets is anything but short. Some haven't taken kindly to being tracked; Jay-Z's representatives responded to one study to argue that the plane being tracked wasn't...