Former Secretary of State John Kerry, now President Joe Biden’s “climate czar,” took a private jet all the way to Iceland just to accept an award for his efforts on climate change back in 2019, saying it was the “only choice for somebody like me.”
Which is only just now news because apparently, no one in the liberal media bothered to report on it at the time, despite the fact that Kerry’s been leaving carbon footprints the size of a melting glacier all over the planet he claims to be protecting.
According to Fox News’ Sam Dorman, shortly after accepting the Arctic Circle Award, Kerry stated that taking a private jet – complete with jet fuel and lots of C02 emissions – was "the only choice for somebody like me who is traveling the world to win this battle.”
But while the stunning display of hypocrisy conveniently escaped the U.S. media’s notice, it didn’t get by at least one Icelandic reporter.
Jóhann Bjarni Kolbeinsson reportedly confronted Kerry at the awards event over his use of a private jet, asking, "I understand that you came here with a private jet. Is that an environmental way to travel?"
"If you offset your carbon -- it's the only choice for somebody like me who is traveling the world to win this battle," Kerry answered, pointing out that he personally “negotiated the Paris Accords for the United States.”
"I've been involved with this fight for years. I negotiated with [Chinese] President Xi to bring President Xi to the table so we could get Paris," he said. "And, I believe, the time it takes me to get somewhere, I can't sail across the ocean. I have to fly, meet with people and get things done.”
“What I'm doing, almost full time, is working to win the battle on climate change,” he waxed on. “And in the end, if I offset and contribute my life to do this, I'm not going to be put on the defensive."
Of course, Kerry never did specify why he chose to fly in a private jet over flying commercial alongside other passengers to help conserve planet-killing jet fuel. But one thing is for certain - when it comes to air travel, using a private jet is far worse for Mother Earth than flying with the masses. As Dorman reports:
Private jets have been estimated to emit upward of 40 times as much carbon per passenger as commercial flights.
It's unclear how Kerry has been offsetting his carbon output, as he claimed, but flight logs indicated that his family's private jet spent over 20 hours in the air over the past year -- culminating in an estimated 116 metric tons of carbon emissions.
For comparison, a March 2018 report from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that the typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. That calculation assumed a car that drives around 11,500 miles per year with a fuel economy of about 22.0 miles per gallon.
But despite flying around the world in his own personal plane to accept awards for being so environmentally conscious, Kerry, who once defended his jet use by pointing to the Paris Accords, now claims that the global agreement is "insufficient" to address the climate crisis.
Just don't expect him to give up his jet anytime soon.