Prominent climate activists claim individuals must make certain sacrifices for the sake of the environment.
While President Joe Biden has already taken action meant to combat climate change, some of those in his administration do not seem willing to make sacrifices of their own.
Controversial flight to Iceland
As an example, prior to accepting his new role as White House climate czar, John Kerry defended his controversial decision to travel by private plane to receive an award in Iceland in 2019.
According to the Washington Examiner, Kerry somewhat ironically took the flight so that he could be congratulated for his work in combating climate change.
He has since joined the Biden administration, which has marked its first two weeks with orders including the cancellation of the Keystone XL oil pipeline and limitation of drilling on public land.
As the Examiner noted, the use of a private aircraft can produce as much as 40 times the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere as a commercial flight. Nevertheless, Kerry seemed unbothered by his decision to take such a flight, telling a reporter earlier this week that it was “the only choice” for a world traveler like himself.
.@JohnKerry suggests trying to force Americans to emit less CO2 via the Paris Accord makes up for his use of private jets; “only choice for someone like me” [h/t @FoxNews https://t.co/V2pQDMlggU] pic.twitter.com/YrhWA0cqwT
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 3, 2021
“To fly to meet with people and get things done”
“I’ve been involved in this fight for years,” he explained. “I negotiated with [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping] to bring President Xi to the table so we could get Paris [climate agreement].”
Kerry then attempted to explain his supposed need for a private plane, asserting that he “can’t sail across the ocean” and has “to fly to meet with people and get things done.”
Former White House press secretary Ari Fleisher, however, does not believe that argument holds water.
“Remember, he is the man who opposed a wind project on the Nantucket Sound because he didn’t want to see the view outside his window,” Fleischer said.
Nebraska truck driver Chris Olson piled on the allegations of hypocrisy, insisting: “Any of these people that work on the pipeline, all the sudden they’re not making money so they’re not spending money. So the community they live in is going to have less money coming in. It’s flyover country, that’s what they call us. It’s like we don’t even exist.”
The post Climate czar John Kerry defends private plane travel, calling it ‘the only choice’ first appeared on Conservative Institute.
No comments: