A spokesperson for Taylor Swift has dismissed claims that the singer is responsible for the majority of flights taken on her private jet, calling the allegations 'blatantly incorrect'. The denial follows a report from sustainability marketing firm Yard, which named Swift as the celebrity with the highest private jet emissions in 2022.
According to Yard's analysis, Swift's jet made 170 flights between 1 January and 29 July 2022, totalling 15.9 days in the air and emitting an estimated 8,293.54 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is nearly 1,185 times the annual emissions of an average person. However, the spokesperson stated that the aircraft is 'loaned out regularly to other individuals', implying Swift is not responsible for all trips.
The data was compiled from the Celebrity Jets Twitter account, which tracks private aircraft. Yard used the information to highlight the environmental impact of private jet usage, particularly among celebrities. Other high emitters included boxer Floyd Mayweather, rapper Jay-Z, and former baseball player Alex Rodriguez.
Private jets emit over 33 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually, more than the entire country of Denmark. Per passenger, they are five to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes and 50 times more polluting than trains. Just 1% of the global population accounts for half of aviation-related emissions.
Chris Butterworth, digital sustainability director at Yard, commented: 'It's easy to get lost in the dazzling lives of the rich and famous, but they're a massive part of the CO2e problem in aviation.' He noted that the research was based on available data and not conclusive proof of ownership for each flight.
