A 72-year-old climate activist rode her electric bicycle all the way from Sweden to Egypt, just in time to attend COP27 last week. Her mission? To raise awareness about rising emissions and climate change, the Associated Press reported.
Dorothee Hildebrandt arrived at Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh last week atop her pink e-bike (nickamed Miss Piggy). She bikes to the conference centre every day to attend the climate talks and wants world leaders to make good on their climate promises.
She made the trip while some attendees travelled to the climate conference aboard private jets. According to recent data from FlightRadar24, 36 private jets landed at Sharm el-Sheikh from November 4 to 6, the BBC reported. The flight data collecting website told the BBC that it is possible more private jets flew into Egypt around the start of COP27, but there is limited coverage in the area, making it hard to track every single flight.
Unlike the hours it took for the jetsetters to arrive in Egypt from all over the world, it took Hildebrandt four months to reach Sharm el-Sheikh. She documented her journey online, posting tidbits from her journey, like her pit stops in France and in Turkey, on her Facebook. She also uploaded videos of herself. In one video from this summer, Hildebrandt rides around with shades and neon orange shirt that reads “Grandmas for Future,” circling an image of planet Earth.
Angry at the ever-rising greenhouse gas emissions, Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion climate activists staged blockades at several private jet airport terminals in England last week, The Guardian reported. Activists also blocked private jets in other countries, including Spain and Germany, last week.
Jet-owning celebrities especially have been under fire this year for their high-emitting lifestyles. Netizens crowned reality star Kylie Jenner a “climate criminal” this past July. The backlash roared across the internet after she posted a photo on Instagram of her hugging Travis Scott and standing between two private jets, with the caption, “you wanna take mine or yours?”
Followers were also angry to find out that Jenner’s private jet was flown from Camarillo to Van Nuys, two Los Angeles suburbs that are about a 45-minute drive from each other. The flight took 11 minutes and used up 655 pounds (297 kilograms) of jet fuel, contributing about 1 T of CO2 emissions. A gas-powered car produces that same amount of emissions by driving over 3,862 km — that’s like driving from NYC to Las Vegas.
Miss Americana, aka Taylor Swift, reportedly created 8,293.54 tonnes of carbon from 170 trips in just the first half of this year. That’s over 100 times the yearly emissions of the average U.S. household. And the new King of England, Charles III, arrived at COP26 last year via a private jet, MarketWatch reported, despite his supposed championing climate activism and progressive environmental policies.