Taylor Swift slammed by netizens after singer tops list of private jet polluters

A study shows Taylor Swift's jet flew 170 times between from the start of this year through to July 19. Photo: AFP

Celebrities have recently come under fire for their usage of private jets, with reality star Kylie Jenner inciting eye-rolls and criticism for bragging about her preferred, climate-unfriendly way to travel.

But Jenner is reportedly not the worst "climate criminal" in Hollywood.

Pop star Taylor Swift topped a list purporting to rank celebrities according to their private jet usage. The list was compiled by marketing firm Yard - using data from the CelebrityJets Twitter page.

Yard's data-trawlers found that Swift's jet flew 170 times between from the start of this year through to July 19. This equals to some 8,294 tonnes of carbon emissions.

The 170 flights included trips across the United States, including from Burbank in California on the west coast, to Albany in New York on the east coast.

Boxer Floyd Mayweather was second and rapper Jay-Z third in the ranking.

Also in the top 10 were country star Blake Shelton, director Steven Spielberg, and Jenner's sister Kim Kardashian.

Jenner herself landed at 19th spot.

Yard added that the celebrities had "emitted an average of 3376.64 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in just their private jet usage in 2022 so far".

This is some 482 times more than the average person.

On social media, netizens were quick to criticise the celebrities, especially Swift.

"Streaming Taylor Swift to help her pay for her jet fuel," mocked one Twitter user.

Another observed: "For someone who sings about driving, trains, bus stops, and cars so much, turns out Taylor Swift prefers to use her private jet for what would be a two-hour car ride. "

In a statement to music magazine Rolling Stone, Swift's representatives were quick to note that although Swift owns her own private jet, she is not the only one who uses it. "Taylor's jet is loaned out regularly to other individuals. To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect," they said. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network