An event Google hoped would help solve the climate change crisis has backfired spectacularly on the tech giant.
‘Google Camp’ gathered the world’s most elite at a Sicilian resort in a bid to connect influential people who can create change.
Some of the celebs in attendance included Barack Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Diane Von Furstenberg, Barry Diller, Bradley Cooper, Priyanka Chopra (pictured above, left) and Katy Perry (pictured above, right).
Even Prince Harry made an appearance.
But despite its good intentions, Google is now under fire for the massive carbon footprint the event left in its wake.
It has since been estimated around 114 private jets were used to fly the A-listers into the European resort, which The Post calculated would send around 100,000 kilograms of CO2 into the air.
In addition to this, Diller – an American billionaire – arrived on a diesel-powered $290 million yacht.
Perry and Bloom did minimise their carbon footprint, however, yacht-pooling with Dreamworks founder David Geffen.
While the celebrities paid for their own travel arrangements, Google did foot the bill for the accommodation, with the event believed to have cost the tech giant around $20 million.
As could be expected, social media was quick to criticise both Google and the celebrities involved.
I wish rich people would stop pretending they care about the environment while they fly in fleets of private jets, the worst possible form of transportation for the environment. #googlecamp
— Luke (@lwvyruz) July 31, 2019
I don’t know what we would do with out the outrageously rich folk all gathering on an island discussing what’s best for us living paycheque to paycheque #GoogleCamp
— Kevin_W_Bunney🇨🇦 (@kevin_bunney) August 6, 2019
Pretty disgusted at the hypocrisy of #GoogleCamp , because of the 114 private jets that have flown in, when they’re supposed to be talking about global warming. 1/2
— Felix (@Felix_Bode) July 31, 2019
https://twitter.com/analogfusion/status/1157803279121899520
How did it NOT occur to any of the rich and famous that flying in a private jet/sailing in a mega yacht to meet with other elites and discuss the evils of fossil fuels was ridiculously two-faced?! Another example of the double standards of inequality. #GoogleCamp
— Katarina (@annakatarinaz) August 1, 2019
https://twitter.com/benmsanderson/status/1157230240135073792
https://twitter.com/PaulGething/status/1156950790071865344
If you want to make a 5 days luxury gala, wasting millions of dollars on keeping the celebs enternained ok go ahead, but dont use the climate problem to justify it. It's insulting and vomitive. @Google @GoogleCamp #GoogleCamp #ClimateChangeIsReal
— Aborto de Mejillón (@mussel_abortion) August 4, 2019
Hypocresy of #GoogleCamp. Celebrities talking about global warming while they use 114 private jets
— Jessica Diaz (@JessicaDiazFer) August 6, 2019
This story originally appeared on The Nibbler‘s sister publication, B&T.
