The Billionaire Wedding That Came With A 100-Jet Hangover

• Jeff Bezos’ wedding in Venice attracted nearly 100 private jets, amplifying concerns around elite-driven emissions.
• Private jets produced 19.5 million metric tons of CO₂ in 2023, with 55% of it traced to U.S. departures.
• Eighteen of the 20 most polluting private jet airports are in the U.S., driven by celebrity and billionaire travel habits.

While most of the world argues over carbon offsets and energy bills, Jeff Bezos just threw a wedding that became the year’s most absurd climate event. Nearly 100 private jets reportedly descended on Venice to celebrate the Amazon founder’s nuptials to Lauren Sánchez, making it a high-altitude spectacle in more ways than one.

Coincidentally, or rather, perfectly, the International Council on Clean Transportation released a report the same week showing that American billionaires are now responsible for 55% of the world’s private jet emissions. In 2023 alone, private jets pumped out 19.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases globally. Over half of that came from flights departing the United States.

Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, where many of those jets likely took off, is now one of the most polluting private aviation hubs on Earth. Short flights under two hours, like those that shuttled A-listers to Bezos’ party, re the worst offenders as they burn the most fuel per kilometre and make up a third of aviation’s carbon footprint. No wonder eco warrior Leonardo diCaprio was quick to hide his face.

The numbers are surreal. The U.S. accounted for 65% of all private jet flights last year. Florida and Texas alone generated more traffic than the entire EU. The U.S. average is 687 private jet flights per 10,000 people. In France and the UK, it’s around 110.

France has tried banning short domestic flights where train alternatives exist, but the impact has been minor. There’s no such restriction in the U.S., where the ultra-rich fly freely while the rest of the country faces pressure to cut emissions.

This isn’t just about Bezos, however. Mark Zuckerberg’s new Gulfstream G700 burned through 12,000 pounds of fuel flying to his Hawaiian compound. Kylie Jenner took a 17-minute hop across LA and became a meme. Taylor Swift went viral for chartering her private jet to fly her upstairs in her mansion (ok, maybe this isn’t true).

Private aviation is one of the clearest examples of climate inequality, where the wealthiest pollute the most and face the fewest consequences. The emissions from a single Gulfstream flight are enough to erase a year’s worth of recycling or solar panel use for dozens of households.

Until there are real restrictions on private aviation, we’ll keep getting these moments, red carpets in Venice, 100 jets lined up on the runway, and another news cycle where the carbon footprint of one wedding could power a small town.

Of course, Bezos’ big day might’ve made headlines for who was there. But it said more about who’s really driving the climate crisis, and who’s being left to deal with it.