They could be the two poles of a magnet for the difference in their positions on climate change and all that a celebrity (or any multi-millionaire, by extension) can do about it. While Billie believes the world can change for the better if she uses her platform to speak out and highlight activists who are making real efforts to solve climate change, Maher’s approach is more of a ” meh”, where he says active measures are needed. , but he also doesn’t know what they might be and isn’t convinced they should involve him directly.
The conversation about climate change has taken on more and more space in recent years, with various groups and organizations pointing out that humanity is heading towards the point of no return. As activists say, time is running out and we have a very small window left to implement measures that would reduce our carbon footprint and the amount of emissions before the damage to our planet is irreparable.
If that sounds overly dramatic, that’s because it is.
The discussion on climate change is very complex and complicated, and the aim today is to focus on just one aspect: the use of private jets, yet another conversation that has taken up a lot of space in recent months. Humanity has no chance of reducing its carbon footprint if the rich don’t stop flying privately, according to recent studies, and it has shed light on how often and how often the rich use their private jets unnecessarily. .
Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Drake, Taylor Swift and even well-known eco-warriors like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Leonardo DiCaprio have come under fire for their use of private jets. The list could go on and on, including Elon Musk, Lewis Hamilton and David Beckham, all of whom made headlines last year for their alleged excessive and polluting use of private jets.
Not Billie Eilish, though. The 21-year-old singer is the cover girl for Vogue magazine’s January 2023 issue, and she’s taking the opportunity to spotlight a very specific group of climate activists and seemingly announce her intention not to buy jets. private. That’s a bold statement to make, and “never” is definitely very long, but Eilie would have us believe that it’s not because she’s 21 and believes, like we all have. at one point she’s some kind of superhero.
Eilish has a solution, and it involves getting creative when it comes to stealing for business. She doesn’t go into detail other than to say that she “hates” the idea of having to fly on her tours and has found “unusual workarounds for travel.” It’s a stark change from two years ago, when Eilish was the usual celebrity, posting her stories from the tarmac just as she was about to board a private jet.
For his Happier Than Ever 2022 tour, these workarounds can be quantified: “8.8 million gallons [33.3 million liters] of water saved and more than 15,000 tons of CO2 neutralized, which […] is equivalent to taking 3,000 homes off the grid for a year,” Vogue writes.
In addition to reducing the carbon footprint of her travels, Eilish paired her tour dates with eco-village initiatives, where each venue would have one that offered information about environmental nonprofits, free refills water bottles and voter registration. Eilish says she is just beginning her journey as an activist, although we may not hear more from her as she plans to do the job without publicity.
Billie Eilish’s activism and especially her decision to no longer fly privately when she could very well afford it is crap, if you ask Bill Maher. On his last talk show, and completely unrelated to Vogue’s coverage, except for also addressing the issue of private jets and climate change, the comedian clearly stated that he flies privately . He does it for business and would never consider flying commercial again.
According to him, humans aren’t nice people in general, and the idea of getting them to sacrifice comfort for the good of our planet hasn’t — and won’t — work as expected.
There are two types of people in this world, Maher says: those who travel privately and those who would if they could. A third category, into which Eilish would fit, of people who could, but choose not to, does not exist. To prove his point, Maher shows all the so-called eco-warriors constantly pestering ordinary people about their flying habits as they hop on and off private jets because it’s more convenient.
Indeed, Maher is a comedian – and one who often invites controversy, invoking humor to deliver hard truths that others also believe, but wouldn’t dare to speak. He seems to be joking here, but he makes a very valid point, even taking into account the fact that there is no such thing as a “perfect” activist: hypocrisy is squealing. It is not enough to discourage the message that private jet flying is harmful or to justify yet another undefined measure to combat climate change, but it East terribly frustrating.
On a more positive note, every move counts, so if there’s one less private jet in the air, it’s still a win-win situation for our planet in general. So let’s hope Eilish sticks to her most recent resolution.
