Carbon Bigfoot: 2009 Inauguration Expected to Generate More Than a Half-Billion Pounds of CO2

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our or .

| Sourced From |

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ — Next week scores of celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Sharon Stone, Sting, and Steven Spielberg are all expected to flock to the nation’s capitol, many by private jets, to the historic inauguration of Barack Obama. The swearing-in extravaganza will surely be the largest yet and is seeing ballooning costs and a major environmental footprint.
In a report released today, the Institute for Liberty (IFL) utilizes data from federal agencies, environmentalist organizations, and news accounts to extrapolate the estimated environmental impact for the 2009 Inauguration. IFL estimates that, given the millions of people expected to converge on the nation’s capital. IFL concludes:

The 600 private jets expected to fly visitors to and from the event will produce 25,320,000 POUNDS of CO2
Personal vehicles could account for 262,483,200 POUNDS of CO2
In the Inaugural parade, horses alone will produce more than 400 POUNDS of CO2
The total carbon footprint for the Inauguration will likely exceed 575 million POUNDS of CO2
It would take the average U.S. household 57,598 years to produce a carbon footprint equal to that of the new president’s housewarming party

 

The Inauguration of President Obama is truly an historic occasion that should be celebrated,” said IFL President Andrew Langer. “However, it would be very hypocritical for the scores of celebrities, VIPs and political elites to lecture on environmental policy to middle America and small businesses that are merely trying to survive in these difficult economic times, and then turn around and contribute to the half-billion pounds of emitted CO2. This is a celebration — DC’s small businesses, and thus DC’s working families, are going to greatly benefit from this event. The rest of America should share in that opportunity.”
View the full report, Carbon Bigfoot on the Institute for Liberty’s Energy Blog, TheChillingEffect.org at
The philosophy of the Institute for Liberty is one of keeping the government focused on the primary mission of making sure our nation is safe, while keeping it from unnecessarily interfering in the daily lives of America’s entrepreneurs.
SOURCE Institute for Liberty