Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is free to use his fortune as he pleases, but he isn't free from criticism, especially when his choices show a lack of regard for the environment.
A Redditor posted a video that rightfully called out Zuckerberg for the addition of a $300 million superyacht to his collection of luxurious assets, which already included a gas-guzzling Gulfstream G650 private jet.
Traditional yachts, especially the larger ones, can release significant amounts of pollution, including carbon gas and other harmful substances, into the water and air. Per the Associated Press, Richard Wilk, an economic anthropologist at Indiana University, estimated that some conventionally powered superyachts release 1,500 times more pollution per year than a typical car.
Private jets are another common celebrity luxury that draws the ire of the general public because of how harmful they are to the environment. Zuckerberg's Gulfstream G650 burns a whopping 475 gallons of gas per hour and carries an annual operating cost of $773,810 to $1,600,010.
Zuckerberg isn't alone in his careless purchases that damage the atmosphere, as Taylor Swift and other jet-setting celebrities like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Jay-Z, and Kim Kardashian also contribute heavily to air pollution with their private jet usage. A study by online plant database Krado found that the combined pollution from the flights of ten celebrities would require 186 billion houseplants to offset, covering an area larger than the state of Vermont.
Unsurprisingly, other Reddit users didn't hesitate to chastise Zuckerberg for his yacht purchase.
"No one needs this," one user commented.
"I wonder what part of the brain causes this compulsion to buy such things," the OP wrote in a reply.
These celebrities can reduce the harm they do to the environment by exploring low-impact travel options. There are also major corporations undertaking eco-friendly initiatives that deserve support from the likes of Zuckerberg and other high-profile individuals who can make massive contributions toward improving the health of our planet.
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