Taylor Swift is going to start using carbon offsets in an attempt to silence her climate change critics.
This is according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.
"No one escapes the climate police these days, and that includes Taylor Swift," the article begins.
It continues, "The pop star has been criticized recently for emitting CO2 on her frequent trips on a private jet to see her beau Travis Kelce play for the Kansas City Chiefs."
Chances are that you are familiar with Swift, but what you may not know is that Swift has a $40 million private jet that she frequently takes trips on. To provide some perspective, Swift was previously alleged to have flown in the jet 170 times between Jan. 1 and July 29, 2022.
Such jets are big-time emitters of carbon, meaning that Swift has a rather large carbon footprint for one individual. Those who believe in the political left's climate change narrative and agenda would thus say that Swift is disproportionately contributing to the problem.
Swift has been facing such criticism for over a year now, so apparently she has decided to try to do something to fend off the critics. Hence, the carbon offsets.
For those unfamiliar with carbon offsets, CNN reports:
Companies and people who want to cancel out the impact of their emissions on the climate often turn to something called carbon offsetting. So what is that, exactly? The idea is that any carbon emitting process, from a long-haul flight to electricity generation, can be offset by paying someone else to plant trees, preserve a forest or create renewable energy.
This is the general idea. It turns out, though, that it might not be quite as effective as is suggested.
It is unclear whether the use of carbon offsets will be enough to silence Swift's climate critics. The editorial board of the Journal explains why. The basic problem is that it is not really clear whether these carbon offsets do much of anything.
"[The carbon offsets] are a political creation that lets companies and countries—and now celebrities—virtue signal," the board writes.
It continues, "If a manufacturer wants to claim it is reducing emissions, it can buy a credit rather than use less gas or coal power. Instead of flying commercial, Ms. Swift can buy credits to offset trips on her $40 million Dassault aircraft. Carbon offsets don’t significantly reduce emissions, but they do promote the illusion that a net-zero world is possible."
The board goes on to explain that, "while the credits have a notional financial value, their primary purpose is to deflect criticism."
It is for this reason that it is unclear whether Swift, with the carbon offsets, really will be able to settle the "climate police."
