Super Bowl triggers private jet surge: 882 departures from Las Vegas spark environmental concerns

Regarded as an American sports holiday, the Super Bowl garners attention from individuals worldwide. Unsurprisingly, the National Football League final is not just a match for the renowned Vince Lombardi Trophy. It's also a spectacle for music admirers due to the yearly Halftime Show and a social gathering for celebrity enthusiasts who throng the audience.

The Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers vied for the prestigious NFL title in this year's championship. Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, dating Taylor Swift for several months, plays as their tight end. Swift's fans anticipated her presence at the Super Bowl. Despite performing in Tokyo the previous day, her private jet ensured a seat for her in the stands at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Taylor Swift did not attend the Super Bowl finale by herself. She was joined by rapper Ice Spice, actress Blake Lively, and her parents, Andrea and Scott Swift. Notable personalities such as Kardashians, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, and Jay-Z were also confirmed by the Paparazzi.

PostSuper Bowl, flight radar trackers had their hands full. The skies over Las Vegas were flush with hundreds of planes flying out of the city of vice and luxury. Reportedly, 882 private aircraft departed Las Vegas after the NFL finale. However, not every flight belonged to celebrities. Many individuals chartered planes specifically for the event. The staggering number fuels environmental concerns, with estimates suggesting that Taylor Swift's Tokyo to Las Vegas flight alone generated roughly 44 tons of greenhouse gases.

Interestingly, despite Taylor Swift being frequently criticized for using private jets, she does not feature in the Top 30 high-flying celebrities list. My Climate Tracker suggests that for 2023, Travis Scott led the carbon emissions chart. Kylie Jenner's former partner accrued 205,052 miles across 137 flights within a year, producing an estimated 6,687,068 pounds of CO2. Taking second place was Kim Kardashian. The celebrity model made 165 flights, generating nearly 12,914,122 pounds of CO2. The infamous list ends with the maverick billionaire Elon Musk. The Tesla head boarded private planes 150 times, contributing to CO2 emissions worth 10,053,248 pounds.

In addition to these, the list also includes big names such as Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, Kylie Jenner, Celine Dion, Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, Max Verstappen, Blake Shelton, Jeff Bezos, Drake, and Tiger Woods, with the famed Indiana Jones actor - Harrison Ford, rounding off the list.