Kylie Jenner’s private jet usage has come under scrutiny after the influencer took a flight that covered just 40 miles.
The trip was the topic of a heated discussion on r/KUWTKsnark.
In mid-August, Jenner’s private jet was tracked taking off from Camarillo Airport in Ventura County, California, and landing at Van Nuys Airport just outside of Los Angeles. By car, the same trip would take around one hour to complete, depending on the time of day.
It’s probably safe to say that nobody enjoys getting stuck in rush hour traffic. And you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who likes being forced to wait several hours at the airport after their flight is delayed. But for most of us, those are just everyday occurrences we all have to deal with at some point or another.
However, for the wealthiest portion of the population, they can usually hop in a private jet and find a way around those inconveniences.
Due to their limited nature, private jets can have negative impacts on the environment and ultimately human health. Unlike larger commercial airlines, private jets are highly inefficient and disproportionately high polluters, with a single flight typically producing more CO2 than the average person’s yearly emissions.
CO2 emissions trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere. This can lead to an increase in global temperatures, higher occurrences of extreme weather events, and rising sea levels, all of which can threaten communities across the planet.
Stefan Gössling, a transportation researcher at the business school of Sweden’s Linnaeus University, spoke to PBS regarding the impact that private jet usage has on our planet.
“The damage is done by those with a lot of money and the cost is borne by those with very little money,” Gössling said.
In the comments section of the Reddit thread, the overwhelming majority of users heavily criticized Jenner’s flight, calling it wasteful and hypocritical.
“This should be illegal,” noted one commenter.
“It’s not like she even has to drive herself, she could have sat in the back of [a] chauffeur-driven car and chilled and not killed as much environment. But rules for thee and not for me standard,” vented another user.
“And we’re supposed to use paper straws,” quipped a third commenter.
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