“You wanna take mine or yours?”
“The lack of awareness is honestly astonishing,” read one of 45,000 comments on Jenner’s Instagram post, shared Friday.
Another suggested this flaunting of wealth was tone-deaf given the wake-up call the extreme weather in Europe has been for many. “I could recycle everything, buy all my clothes second hand, compost and grow my own food for the rest of my life and it wouldn’t even begin to offset the footprint from one of her flights,” they tweeted.
Others suggested the pair “take neither” aircraft and, instead, use their wealth and fame to help save the planet.
A representative for Jenner declined to comment early Thursday.
Jenner is far from the only one using private jets, but activists and environmental experts are increasingly concerned about the habits of the ultrarich.
The European Federation for Transport and Environment, a nongovernmental organization campaigning for cleaner transport, says the super-rich play an “outsized role” in the climate crisis and that carbon dioxide from private jet emissions has risen dramatically in recent years.
The group, in a report shared last year, said that in one hour, a single private jet can emit two tons of carbon dioxide. The study noted that private jets are between five and 14 times more polluting than commercial planes, and 50 times more harmful to the environment than trains.
Authors of the report called on the aviation sector to work with the wealthy to come up with more sustainable efforts to decarbonize, including using alternative fuels and technologies.
Jenner purchased the private jet in 2020 for more than $70 million, according to British tabloid the Sun. Photos posted to the star’s social media channels show plush leather seats with her initials embroidered on the headrest and a TV area with “Kylie” written in pink neon lights.
Her older sister Kim Kardashian has also been accused of polluting the planet by taking short flights and flaunting her new private plane branded “Air Kim,” which features cashmere upholstery and a king-size bed.
The plane, which the Daily Mail identified as a Gulfstream G65OER, was showcased on a recent episode of “The Kardashians,” which saw the 41-year-old giving cameras a tour of the custom-designed aircraft, which has a cream-and-gray color scheme to match her home.
A growing number of wealthy individuals are coming under criticism for traveling by jet amid the climate crisis, including musicians such as Drake, actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio and sports stars like Floyd Mayweather.
Britain’s royal family has also faced backlash for its frequent use of private aircraft.
While Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have been vocal about climate change concerns in recent years, the pair have been slammed by the media tabloids for their use of private airplanes.
Their fans and friends, including Elton John, have defended the royal couple’s travel habits, arguing that they need to avoid commercial planes and airports for security and privacy reasons.
