By Josh Siatkowski | Staff Writer
In an era where the emissions-heavy habits of the ultrarich are ultra-publicized, it’s easy to feel that any climate-conscious behavior of our own will be squashed by some billionaire’s private jet. But the average individual is more powerful than you think.
When Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s star-studded relationship took social media, the NFL and eventually every news outlet by storm, I finally gave in and did some research on America’s newest power couple.
Shortly into my search, I came across a less-than-flattering article from the Economic Times, which remarked that Swift’s private jet usage made her the world’s “biggest celebrity CO2 polluter.”
Swift’s Eras Tour sees her perform 151 shows in five continents over a 20-month span, and it’s a huge consumer of the singer’s jet fuel. Combine this odyssey-length tour with frequent returns to Arrowhead Stadium, and we see that Swift racked up an eye-popping 8,293 tons of CO2 emissions in 2023, according to the article.
In the United States, CO2 emissions per capita are 15.32 tons, according to data from Worldometers. By this measure, it would take over 500 average Americans to equal the pop star’s goliath footprint.
At this point, you’re probably wondering, “What can a normal person do when there are hundreds more like Taylor Swift dumping more CO2 than 500 people?”
The answer is more than you think. Let’s start with the fact that the Taylor Swifts of the world aren’t single-handedly polluting the Earth. In fact, according to Bitlux, total private jet usage across the world accounted for 899,000 tons of CO2 in 2019. The U.S. alone emitted over 5 billion tons of CO2 in 2016, per Worldometers.
With well over 99% of America’s carbon footprint still up for removal, there’s a lot more that people can do other than political lobbying and going vegan. Here are some more college-friendly and engaging — yet equally effective — ideas you might not have considered.
1. Go to thrift stores
Thrifting, which is already trending among younger generations, is great for the environment. Since the fashion industry accounts for nearly 10% of global carbon emissions, buying and donating secondhand clothes can play a climate-positive role by reducing the production of new clothes. So, the next time you rejoice over a great haul from Plato’s Closet, keep in mind you’re also helping the environment.
2. Visit national parks and forests
This one might seem counterintuitive. How does packing up the car for a cross-country road trip help the environment? Well, national forest and park lands are actually excellent for the atmosphere. Data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that trees within protected areas offset as much as 12% of America’s carbon emissions. Maintaining a healthy stream of visitors in these parks is crucial to ensuring they remain protected, so talk to your friends about a spring break trip to Big Bend or the Guadalupe Mountains.
3. Take advantage of leftovers
If a night of inspiration that led you to cook a feast is followed by a morning of unappetizing leftovers, don’t create more food waste by throwing them away. Instead, check out this website for some ideas on how to turn yesterday’s leftovers into tonight’s culinary exploration. Or, for those who don’t want to bother with going back into the kitchen, try some recipes that are even better as leftovers.
4. Study with natural light
OK, this one might not be so fun, but we all have to study, and we all want to do well in school (hopefully). Studies show that working in natural light actually improves student achievement. So, turn off those energy-burning fluorescent lights, open up those windows and watch your grades and the climate recover.
There are a lot more pollutants in the world than just glitzy celebrity habits, and there are a lot more ways to reduce them than you might have previously thought. Understand that nearly every decision you make has some impact on our climate, but don’t worry: Climate-friendly behavior isn’t always challenging, and it can even add some much-needed spice to our daily lives.
