Google is tossing a star-studded bash this week to promote the fight against climate change – but ironically the three-day powwow at a posh seaside resort in Italy stands to trigger a torrent of pollution itself.
While the guest list is top secret, those reportedly invited to "Camp Google" – hosted by company founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin – are Tom Cruise, Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, Prince Harry, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper, Katy Perry, John Legend, Harry Styles, Stella McCarthy, Nick Jonas, Gayle King, and Barry Diller.
For 72 hours, some 300 invitees will cavort at the ultra-luxurious Verdura Resort & Spa on the southwest coast of Sicily. They will attend earthy-crunchy seminars on global warming, human rights, health, and education as well as bask in the sun, dip into the sea and enjoy gourmet meals and top-shelf booze.
But with many of the attendees pouring in in their fume-spewing private jets, helicopters and yachts – the atmosphere is no doubt distressed by a substantial carbon footprint.
According to the New York Post, if the number of jets that are expected show up, some 784,000 kilograms of CO2 will be released into the air. Excessive CO2 in the air is responsible for the so-called "Greenhouse Effect."
And the news website DailyMail.com reports: "With environmental costs thrown in – guests arriving in Palermo on 114 fuel-guzzling planes, roaring around Italy in Maseratis, and enjoying the well-watered golf courses and swimming pools at their $903-a-night resort – the climate party quickly made a mockery of its grandiose intentions."
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, also took note of event's double-edged sword, posting a Washington Examiner story on Twitter titled: "Climate activist celebrities arrive at 'Google Camp' by yachts, helicopters, and private jets."
And Jason Kenney, the premier of Alberta, Canada, remarked on Twitter:
"Another celebrity environmental conference, another hypocritical display of mega yachts, private jets, and conspicuous consumption while billions live in energy poverty. They're pretty flagrant about it: 'do as I say, not as I do.'"
The splashy party costs Google about $20 million to put on and includes a private concert by Coldplay's Chris Martin by the ancient ruins at Valley of the Temples.
"As for the brainstorming sessions, you need not worry that they'll be too arduous on the guests. Morning discussions are reportedly followed by afternoons and evenings of relaxation, food, and drink," Nick Bastone of Business Insider writes.
Among the yachts now anchored off the beach at Verdura, according to Forbes.com, are German pharmaceutical titan Udo J. Vetter's Aquarius, and Barry Diller and Diane Von Furstenberg's EOS. Meanwhile, London's Daily Mirror reports an early speaker, a barefoot Prince Harry, stressed the importance of tackling climate change before a crowd of 200.
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