U2's lead singer Bono often talks of saving the planet. But when it comes to making money, the band doesn't let saving the planet from climate change stand in its way.
...the band's 100-date 18-month world tour will see the multi-millionaires clock up 70,000 air miles (113,000 km) in their private jet.
The £90 million ($230 million) U2 360 tour also features three 390-tonne stages criss-crossing the globe, along with 200 crew and backstage staff.
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The U2 360 tour will generate an estimated 65,000 tons of CO2 emissions. And lord knows how much more will be generated by all the people traveling to and attending the concerts.
Carbonfootprint.com's environment consultant Helen Roberts said: "The carbon footprint generated by U2's 44 concerts this year is equal to carbon created by the four band members traveling the 34.125 million miles from Earth to Mars in a passenger plane.
"You also have to add the carbon emissions from the same number of concerts again next year. Just looking at the 44 concerts this year, the band will create enough carbon to fly all 90,000 people attending one of their Wembley concerts to Dublin. To offset this year's carbon emissions, U2 would need to plant 20,118 trees."
Funny she should mention trees...Carbon Footprint sells a variety of carbon offsets--including trees--that allow people to assuage their guilt over not reducing their own carbon footprints. One can spend $12.63 to have a tree planted in Kenya, or $19.37 to have one planted in the UK. Per its sales pitch for Kenya...
All trees that are planted are native to the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, and will be carefully planted and managed to live their natural lifespan and meet their biodiversity targets.
Each tree planted "offsets" your environmental impact by "breathing" in about 1 tonne of CO2 emissions over its lifetime. It's estimated that the average person needs to save about 7 tonnes of CO2 per year.
How small are the odds that a tree planted in Kenya will survive to live its natural lifespan? Many a tree planted as a carbon offset has already bitten dust via neglect, as food for animals, etc.
Carbon Footprint Ltd also sells certified emission reduction credits, facilitates donations to a clean energy portfolio, etc. And a percentage of that guilt goes to their bottom line, helping to make the owners rich.
By the by, U2 is going to buy carbon offsets of some sort for its tour.
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