Ambani pre-wedding festivities put emissions of Elon Musk and Taylor Swift to shame
Beginning in January last year, the pre-wedding celebration of Anant Ambani, the son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, to Radhika Merchant, the daughter of industrialist Viren Merchant, have included eye-popping parties, a cruise party and a roster of international performers.
Anant and Radhika got engaged at a temple in Rajasthan in December 2022, surrounded by only family members and close friends. The ongoing pre-wedding festivities culminate this month as both finally tie the knot at a three-day celebration from July 12-14.
The mega parties spread across the globe and involving numerous global stars such as Rihanna, Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber have been making headlines for months. But there has also been a bit of controversy lately over climate emissions.
Severe disregard for the planet’s future
In the midst of the global climate crisis, the Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant extravagant celebration in Italy stood as a prominent example of environmental disregard. The opulent event lured sharp criticism for its monumental carbon footprint.
The celebration last month in the Italian fishing village of Portofino, and a lavish cruise party from Cannes prior to that, represent a severe disregard for the planet’s future. The series of events generated staggering carbon emissions to state the least.
Considering the enormous number of private jets, luxury cruise ship, food, waste management and accommodation involved, the Italy celebration’s carbon footprint is expected to reach a monumental 35,000 metric tonnes of CO2e.
Reminder of disproportionate impact rich can have
To put the aforementioned emissions into perspective, the combined annually carbon emissions of celebrities like Elon Musk and Taylor Swift pale in comparison. This single event’s footprint is 7,000 times that of the average individual’s yearly emissions.
Climate action has become more crucial than ever. In such tough times, such displays of opulence and environmental neglect are not just irresponsible, but also unacceptable. The Ambani pre-wedding festivities are a reminder of the disproportionate impact the rich can have.
It’s time for billionaires to recognise their role in exacerbating the climate crisis and to take meaningful steps in favour of sustainability. Researchers fear that 2024 is on track to become the hottest year on record after the EU’s CCCS confirmed last month as the hottest June ever.
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