Elon Musk under fire after viral post exposes habits: 'This doesn't get called out enough'

The use of private jets has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years as the practice has soared. In fact, a European research team estimated that private jet pollution rose 46% from 2019 to 2023.

One such culprit who has previously come under fire for this is tech CEO and lightning rod for controversy Elon Musk.

"Does he buy and use Tesla Carbon Credits to offset the pollution his jet use creates?" — Photo Credit: Reddit

A post on Reddit calling Musk out for his private jet use recently gained traction. It shows a screen grab of something Musk posted on X: "My little finger nail knows more about climate issues than the entire staff of The Guardian."

The post also displays 98 Tesla Model 3s. It claims that Musk's private jet use in one month expelled 196 tons of carbon dioxide, which is equal to the weight of 98 of the electric vehicles.

Musk's statement came in response to an article critical of him in the paper after he interviewed then-candidate Donald Trump on the site in August.

Musk's brash personality is certain to ruffle feathers. But people are extremely bothered by what they see as his hypocrisy. With Tesla, he is actively trying to get people to transition to EVs, which are good for the environment. But flying privately is detrimental.

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This is not the first time an ultra-wealthy person has been called out for their damaging private jet use. Many people are frustrated that the so-called elite have carbon footprints that are often substantially higher than those of the less wealthy.

For instance, private jet traffic around the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, increased 170% over a typical week. And Flexjet, a company that offers partial ownership of private jets, recently placed a massive order for new aircraft, prompting concerns the problem is only going to get worse.

Commenters on the post agreed with the message. "This doesn't get called out enough," one said. Another offered a suggestion in the form of a question: "Does he buy and use Tesla Carbon Credits to offset the pollution his jet use creates?"

What do you think of Tesla and Elon Musk?

Elon is the man 🥰