The new National Climate Advisor, John Kerry, took a private jet to Iceland to accept an environmental award in 2019. When questioned on the irony of the situation, he said it is, “the only choice for somebody like me.”
Kerry’s full response when the reporter asked, “I understand that you came here with a private jet. Is that an environmental way to travel?”
“If you offset your carbon. It’s the only choice for somebody like me who is traveling the world to win this battle. I negotiated the Paris Accords for the United States. I’ve been involved in this fight for years, I negotiated with President Xi to bring President Xi to the table so we could get Paris. And, I believe, the time takes me to get somewhere, I can’t sail across the ocean. I have to fly, meet with people and get things done. But what I’m doing, almost full time is working to win the battle of climate change. And in the end, if I offset and contribute my life to de this, I’m not gonna be put on the defensive.”
Fox News reported the Arctic Circle founder and former Iceland President, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, was not a fan of Kerry’s choice of travel. They also reported that the Kerry family’s private jet produced an estimated 116 metric tons of carbon, and private jets emit an estimated 40 times more carbon per person than a standard commercial flight.
Lisa Boothe, a Fox News contributor, took to Twitter to mock Kerry’s hypocrisy.
As much as Kerry “fights” for climate change, his family still made millions in the charter flight industry with their company, the Flying Squirrel LLC.