The jet-setting lifestyle of influencers and their excessive air travel cause massive climate-damaging emissions. A large-scale climate protection campaign by the NGO, myclimate, is now publicly confronting these celebrities – on their own channels.
Many influencers use location markers on Instagram to share their trips. Jung von Matt HAVEL and the developers from Championship Records have created the myclimate Carbon Tracker, an intelligent bot that analyses location markers in social media posts from over 1000 influencers and celebrities. Based on the distance between two posts with location markers, it identifies flights and calculates the resulting emissions. Based on this, the bot generates a personalised comment, reminding influencers of alternative travel options and donations for climate projects. For particularly prominent frequent flyers, completely individual comments are written. At the same time, the travel activities are included in the first influencer CO2 ranking at carbontracker.myclimate.org.
myclimate aims to raise awareness of climate-damaging travel behaviour, offer alternatives, and call for responsibility for one’s own emissions. The initiative is accompanied by a campaign on social media, which, not without irony, asks people to donate for the influencers if they fail to fulfill their responsibility.
“We only use data that the celebrities themselves publish. If a champagne photo is tagged in Las Vegas and the next day the location marker shows Lloret de Mar, Spain, the myclimate Carbon Tracker is triggered. Our ‘service’ consists of an automated posting on their Instagram profile. They are made aware of their CO2 emissions and directed to our emissions calculator, which suggests a donation for climate protection projects,” stated myclimate marketing manager, Kai Landwehr.
“It’s about questioning a certain lifestyle that flaunts inflationary air travel, for all of us,” addedJung von Matt HAVEL creative director, Arne Stach.
The myclimate Carbon Tracker has already confronted numerous social media stars such as Paris Hilton, Katy Perry, 50 Cent, Jack Harlow and Beyonce about their travel behaviour. The initial reactions have now been compiled into a short film.
