This is according to a recent analysis conducted by researchers from Indiana University.
The Amazon founder's 417-foot sailing yacht, named "Koru," is said to produce a staggering minimum of 7,154 tons of greenhouse gases each year. This figure is approximately 447 times the total annual carbon footprint of an average American, as per the findings of the Indiana researchers.
November 26, 2023
These revelations, based on publicly accessible data, emerge as Bezos has pledged to spend $10 billion over a decade through the Bezos Earth Fund to mitigate the impacts of climate change. To date, the fund has disbursed $1.84 billion, including allocations for nature conservation and restoration, and the transformation of food systems.
WATCH: BRITISH COLONEL RICHARD KEMP REPORTING FROM GAZA
The Nautical Channel reports that Koru and its support vessel, the Abeona, are Bezos's first yacht purchases. Bezos, whose net worth is estimated at around $161 billion, is among the billionaires who are "invested in issues like climate change and carbon emissions, and publicly, they are very vocal about that," stated Indiana anthropology PhD candidate Beatriz Barros, who conducted the ship's emissions analysis alongside anthropologist Richard Wilk.
TRUMP READY TO DEBATE BIDEN 'ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE,' BUT WILL IT HAPPEN?
However, Barros noted that these wealthy individuals often feel entitled to travel in carbon-producing superyachts, while the average person is encouraged to reduce their carbon footprint by driving less and consuming less meat.
Despite industry praise for Koru's "green" ability to travel using wind power, Barros criticized the yacht's significant greenhouse gas emissions, which result from heating and cooling the vessel and powering its various luxury amenities, including a sauna, pool, and theater.
WATCH: NO CLUE WHY THEY ARE PROTESTING: "I WISH I WAS MORE EDUCATED"
The superyacht, constructed by Netherlands-based Oceanco and launched in April, came with the 246-foot Abeona, equipped with jet skis and a helicopter pad to accommodate the personal helicopter of Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sanchez. The emissions from this sister boat were not included in Barros and Wilk's analysis.
CRITICS SLAM BIDEN'S ATTEMPT TO RELATE PERSONAL TRAGEDY TO POLICE OFFICER DEATHS
Dario Kenner, author of "Carbon Inequality: The Role of the Richest in Climate Change," argued that Bezos' wealth shields him from the consequences of environmental crises. He stated, "The poorest people live closest to toxic air facilities, refineries, places where pollution is dumped," explaining that land in these areas is cheaper. "If you're rich, you're rarely in contact with environmental disaster zones — you're more insulated from extreme weather, from air pollution."
FROM DISGRACE TO REDEMPTION: DAN RATHER TO MAKE UNEXPECTED RETURN TO CBS
Bezos has faced criticism in recent years over his environmental credentials. In 2021, he was criticized online for reportedly traveling by helicopter to party on Bill Gates' superyacht, just days before attending the COP26 climate summit in Scotland via private jet. A spokesperson for Bezos stated that the billionaire used sustainable aviation fuel for his travels and paid for carbon offsets, which fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas pollution and offset carbon emissions generated by the trips.
KARMA IS A B*TCH: COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO CRITICIZED NYPD NOW BEGGING FOR THEIR PROTECTION
In the previous year, hundreds of Amazon employees criticized the company for its ongoing contracts with oil and gas companies, months after then-CEO Bezos promised to bring the online retail giant's operations to net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2040.
Discover alternative ideas that will make you think
Engage in mind bending debate
Earn points, rise in rank, have fun
