Why don’t jet-setting celebs just hang out virtually to save our planet?
By ET Bureau |
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Zooming into Palermo on private jets and yachts — which together spewed out lakhs of kg of carbon dioxide — to combat climate change was not ideal optics. (Representative image)
Celebrities rushing around the world to discuss the fate of our planet is not a new preoccupation. It is, after all, de rigeuer for people in the public eye to spend a considerable amount of their very valuable time on issues such as climate change; when is the last time a celebrity cocked a snook at a worthy cause, à la Donald Trump?
That the most recent such ‘concerned’ celebrity huddle happened this week in Sicily — birthplace of mafias and their famous code of silence, omerta — is both appropriate and ironic as their modes of travel were kept secret but what they said was adroitly disseminated. Zooming into Palermo on private jets and yachts — which together spewed out lakhs of kg of carbon dioxide — to combat climate change was not ideal optics considering student-activist Greta Thunberg has announced she will attend the UN Climate Action Summit in New York later this month in a zero-emission sailboat from Sweden. Greta and her father Svante Thunberg with Boris Herrmann from sailing Team Malizia at the Swedish ambassador's residence in Paris, France. Inset: The zero-emissions sailboat Malizia II. Maybe the celebs made up for it by giving lifts to fellow stars on their customised transport, wearing only organic materials and dining off local produce. Some reportedly went barefoot. It is unlikely, though, that they turned off the air-conditioning given the current heatwave in Europe. But as Google hosted the Sicilian celeb-confab, the carbon-neutral alternative was obvious — they could have ‘hung out’ virtually.
Air Pollution, 5G, Privacy: What Rajan, Nadella & Mahindra Discussed At Davos
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Key points from leading business personalities at the Davos Summit 2019, where the theme was ‘Globalisation 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution’.
Key points from leading business personalities at the Davos Summit 2019, where the theme was ‘Globalisation 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution’.
At the plenary session on ‘Safeguarding our planet’, Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra spoke about India’s youth being aware of the perils of air pollution. “They know it [Earth] is their home and not a hotel and no one will be able to check out from here,” he said.
At the plenary session on ‘Safeguarding our planet’, Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra spoke about India’s youth being aware of the perils of air pollution. “They know it [Earth] is their home a..
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In an interview on the sidelines of the summit, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises, (seen here with Michael Corbat, CEO, Citigroup Inc) foresaw the arrival of 5G. However, he added, “ Do we need to die and do it today? No. But we should start to plan next year sometime.
In an interview on the sidelines of the summit, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises, (seen here with Michael Corbat, CEO, Citigroup Inc) foresaw the arrival of 5G. However, he added, “..
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Azim Premji’s Wipro team participated in discussions on “how to address the global challenges that come with progress, and how to balance sustainable, inclusive global growth”.
Azim Premji’s Wipro team participated in discussions on “how to address the global challenges that come with progress, and how to balance sustainable, inclusive global growth”.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution and 5G was at the core of Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri’s piece. “If you [governments and businesses] want the early adopter advantage, this is the time to move [towards embracing 5G and the Fourth Industrial Revolution],” he urged.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution and 5G was at the core of Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri’s piece. “If you [governments and businesses] want the early adopter advantage, this is the time to move [towards emb..
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Novartis CEO Vasant Narasimhan spoke about the way pharma industry could have a positive impact on global health. “If all that $170 billion of R&D for the next innovation reaches that patient in Kenya or Botswana much faster, then we’ve had the impact we want,” he said.
Novartis CEO Vasant Narasimhan spoke about the way pharma industry could have a positive impact on global health. “If all that $170 billion of R&D for the next innovation reaches that patient in Ken..
