In the early morning hours of Thursday, June 20, two members of the British climate activist group Just Stop Oil entered Stansted Airport’s private terminal and sprayed two private jets with orange paint.
On the evening of Wednesday, a jet charted by Taylor Swift landed at the same airport to bring her parents Scott and Andrea to London ahead of her concerts at the mythical Wembley Stadium this upcoming weekend, the Daily Mail reported. Just Stop Oil seemingly claimed to have vandalized Swift’s jet, drawing mixed reactions from the public.
Was Taylor Swift’s jet spray-painted by climate activists?
No. The Daily Mail confirmed Swift’s jet, which had brought her parents to London the day before the incident, was not among the two planes that were damaged. The activist group ambiguously used Swift’s name in a tweet and a press release likely to attract publicity.
Taylor Swift has been repeatedly criticized for how often she uses private jets to travel around the world, a number which naturally increased during her still-ongoing Eras Tour. Per a Newsweek report, the pop star produced 138 tons of CO2 emissions in just three months in 2023. For reference, according to a European Commission report, the average American citizen produced 14.44 tons in all of 2022, which is already significantly higher than the average annual carbon footprint for a European Union citizen of 8.2 tons. One cross-country flight on a private jet produces more than an average person will in an entire year.
In response to the increased backlash, in February, Swift’s team released a statement to the Associated Press claiming the singer purchased “more than double the carbon credits needed to offset all tour travel.” Carbon credits are essentially translated into money invested in programs aiming to reduce global carbon emissions, such as renewable energy or reforestation, essentially neutralizing the emissions. Except, the environment hardly functions in such mathematical terms.
The two women responsible for the protest at Stansted Airport were arrested by the Essex Police for criminal damage and interference with the use or operation of national infrastructure, per the Daily Mail. Just Stop Oil recently made headlines for spraying Stonehenge with powder paint also in the organization’s signature orange color. The group is calling for world governments to sign an emergency rescue plan to phase out deadly carbon emissions.