Tails, Tiaras and CO2 Tonnage
By: Pure Planet Blog
Tags: Carbon Emissions, Global Warming, Renewable Energy, Climate Change, Trump

The climate costs of President Trump’s state visit

Donald Trump’s State visit to the UK this week will see a staggering 2,619 tonnes of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere — the equivalent to running an average home for 970 years.

Yes, that’s almost the equivalent of a millennium’s worth of CO2 emissions from a typical British home — in just three days.

Let’s think of this another way, just to help comprehend the vast scale of this climate-impacting trip: the 800 tonnes emitted by the President and his entourage each day is what a typical person would emit over a hundred years — should they live that long of course.

So behind all the pomp and red carpet ceremonies is an invisible but very real cost, a huge climate impact.

We at Pure Planet thought it would be useful to try and work out the impact of this carbon calamity, especially since the President is a well known climate change denier.

The President and First Lady disembarking one of their jets

The President and First Lady arrived on one of two heavily modified Boeing 747 jets — dubbed Air Force One — with the other one reportedly carrying the President’s adult children and other officials.

Almost as recognisable as the planes are the President’s two identical seven-seat armoured limousines dubbed The Beast. These are both brought on any foreign visit and make up part of the 30-car motorcade.

The Beast in action

This arrived ahead of the President on US Air Force cargo planes. The exact number varies depending on the visit and is kept secret but we have estimated four planes were used.

The commander in chief is also not constrained to roads when travelling abroad and shortly after arriving on Monday 3 June, a formation of two ‘Marine One’ choppers and three Chinook twin-rotor military helicopters led by a UK police helicopter were seen flying over central London.

President Trump saluting from a ‘Marine One’ chopper

On top of this, up to 1,000 people, including secret service agents, staff, military aides and members of the press accompany the President on trips and make advance visits to check security arrangements.

The President’s exact transport configuration and the efficiency of military planes is often kept secret, but based on official emissions figures Pure Planet estimates:

The President’s record on climate change during his time in the Oval Office has already been a cause of criticism.

Trump’s most high profile rejection of climate change since entering office has been withdrawing the USA out of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The American President also once famously tweeted that the concept of global warming was “created by and for the Chinese”. Trump said climate change is a Chinese hoax. But we all know it is no joke. The emissions from this state visit are vast.

Based on our calculations, President Trump’s state visit is equivalent to almost a millennium’s worth of emissions from a typical home. It is a staggering large amount.

We think Trump’s administration could do much more to help climate change by leading by example — acknowledge it, stop cutting environmental protection policies in the States, invest in renewables, and recommit to the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Pure Planet Members show that we can all take action, even if presidents don’t.

And if you haven’t chosen a renewable energy supplier for your home yet — do. It’s easy to switch; it only takes a minute or two. And it is the biggest single thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint today.

You can switch to clean, green renewables with Pure Planet in 60 seconds. Start by getting a quote here.