Bill Gates Owns 4 Private Jets Valued At $194M, Flying More Than Once A Day On Average – He Has One Of The Highest Carbon Footprints

Bill Gates is one of the biggest supporters of fighting climate change, but his use of private jets makes some people question his seriousness. Despite his efforts to fund carbon-cutting technologies and offset his emissions, Gates admits his carbon footprint is enormous – and his private jet habits are a big reason.

Four Jets and Frequent Flying

Gates owns a fleet of private aircraft worth an estimated $194 million. This includes two Gulfstream G650ERs, which cost $70 million each and two Bombardier Challenger 350s, valued at $27 million. According to Simple Flying, he also owns a Cessna Caravan seaplane and two helicopters registered under his company, MENTE LLC.

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Gates reportedly traveled on 392 private jet flights in 2022. This equates to multiple flights per day. Despite their convenience for someone with a hectic schedule, private jets are notorious for their high pollution output. CBS News cites the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, saying private and commercial jets account for 10% of U.S. transportation emissions.

Gates has defended himself by citing his attempts to offset his emissions when questioned about the inconsistency between his jet use and climate activism. He funds Climeworks, a Swiss company specializing in direct air capture (DAC), a technology that removes carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. Gates claims his investment in Climeworks offsets far more than his family's carbon footprint.

NEW: A BBC reporter asked Bill Gates directly why his climate activism should be taken seriously, as he continues to fly private all over the world:

Gates tried to assure the reporter that, despite his private jet usage, he is not part of the problem, he's part of the solution. pic.twitter.com/U6f8Ymcp4l

— Will Hild (@WillHild) February 7, 2023

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“I'm comfortable with the idea that not only am I not part of the problem by paying for the offsets,” Gates said during a BBC interview, “but also through the billions that my Breakthrough Energy group is spending that I'm part of the solution."

Breakthrough Energy, founded by Gates in 2015, focuses on funding innovations to tackle climate challenges in areas like transportation, manufacturing and agriculture. To date, Gates has reportedly invested over $2 billion in climate technologies.

Gates asked, “Should I stay at home and not come to Kenya to learn about farming and malaria?”

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Critics Say Offsets Aren't Enough

While carbon offsets are helpful, some experts say they are not a perfect fix. The International Energy Agency explains that removing pollution from the air with this kind of technology is still very expensive and uses a lot of energy. It would be much better to stop the pollution from being created in the first place.

Critics and environmental groups say Gates’ regular use of jets sends the wrong message, particularly when the wealthy are being closely examined for their oversize environmental impact. Events like the World Economic Forum have sparked backlash, with activists calling out billionaires for discussing climate solutions while traveling on private planes.

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Gates' Own Admission

Gates has been surprisingly frank about his jet habits. In a 2021 60 Minutes interview, he admitted, "I probably have one of the highest greenhouse gas footprints on the planet … My personal flying alone is gigantic." Still, he says he tries to make up for it by using things like plant-based fuel for his jets, driving an electric car, installing solar panels at home and paying $7 million each year to offset his pollution.

Despite his efforts, critics believe Gates – and others like him, including Bezos (who also owns four private jets), Musk, Cuban, Swift and countless other billionaires and millionaires – need to lead by example, especially when urging the world to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

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