Op-Ed: Sweeney Speaks Out Against Swift
As the realities of our current climate crisis bombard the world’s population, alert citizens are paying special attention to the issue of carbon inequality– the rich and famous being responsible for more carbon going into the atmosphere than the average person. Rather than shaming ordinary people for not recycling or chastising those who participate in fast-fashion or consumer culture, environmentalists are focusing on the role big corporations and celebrities play in our ecosystem.
Using public data sources, University of Florida Student Jack Sweeney developed a bot to track the flight data of the rich and famous. Anyone, from billionaire tech moguls to Russian oligarchs and cultural icons—no one is safe. The bot delivers a tweet to his followers which includes the time and location that a flight takes off and lands, as well as the duration of each flight. Sweeney has received criticism and even bribes from the celebrities he tracks.
Space X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk offered the 21 year old 5,000 dollars, an amount which Technoking Musk amasses in 8 seconds, to delete his tracking account, @ElonJet, which Sweeney refused. In addition to Musk, Sweeney has tracked the private jet flights of Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Drake, and Taylor Swift, with whom he is currently embroiled in a controversial legal battle.
The litigious pop star sent Sweeney a cease and desist letter in December of 2023, citing a concern for her safety as her reason. According to Swift’s lawyer, Katie Morrone, Sweeney’s instagram account, @TaylorSwiftJets, was harmful to the singer. Morrone comments that by sharing these details, Sweeney “provides individuals intent on physically harming her, or with nefarious or violent intentions, a roadmap to carry out their plans.” Sweeney argues that the information used in his social media campaign is available to the public, and he has not done anything illegal to obtain Swift’s flight data.
This trend of holding the top carbon emitters accountable is a divisive one. Environmentalists admire Sweeney for trying to spread awareness of carbon inequality and do not believe that his actions were harmful or inappropriate. Junior Vivian Ware states, “If he wasn't gathering information illegally, I don't think he should be sued.” However, one student, who wishes to remain anonymous, disagrees and believes that Sweeny should stop publishing Swift’s flights in particular. They believe the security risk for the starlet is not worth any environmental awareness raised by the information published. When asked their personal opinion on Taylor Swift’s carbon footprint, the student commented “She’s mother,” A phrase that can only mean this student believes the star can do no wrong.
While the trend of calling out celebrities for their unequal carbon footprint can seem like an exercise in shifting blame, it is important to acknowledge the threats posed to our environment and society as a whole when we refuse to acknowledge the wrongdoings of a person, solely because of their celebrity status.
That being said, we should make sure to dispense criticism without bias. Though many celebrities are guilty of the same environmental offense, Taylor Swift’s name is mentioned a disproportionate amount of times in the conversation about climate consciousness. Perhaps the barrage of criticism is due to her already controversial reputation, or perhaps it is because she has preached climate consciousness in the past. Still, remember to mention Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Jay-Z, Kim and Kylie Kardashian, Drake, and Bill Gates when criticizing celebrities for their carbon footprint.
