Dozens of private jets flock to celebrate billionaire spending huge sums to develop fake meat

One of the world’s richest men is facing backlash after flying 90 private jets into a sinking city for his $30 million wedding, all while claiming to fight climate change through his environmental foundation.

Amazon founder and executive chairman, Jeff Bezos hosted a lavish wedding celebration in Venice, Italy, with around 90 private jets landing in the city, according to The Guardian. While the billionaire has championed efforts to reduce global carbon emissions in through the Bezos Earth Fund, the extravagant celebration stood in stark contrast to his public positions on climate.

Bezos and his fiance, Lauren Sánchez, invited roughly 200 guests, including celebrity activist like Kardashians and Leonardo DiCaprio, to the reportedly $50 million days-long celebration, Page Six reported. The couple also secured 30 of Venice’s water taxis and booked five of the city’s most luxurious hotels, monopolizing much of Venice’s high-end hospitality sector during peak tourist season, according to The Guardian.

Many of these high-profile guests are vocal climate activists, yet appeared unbothered by the environmental toll of the wedding. American model, Karlie Kloss, once said protecting the environment is “vitally important for the health of our planet and our oceans.” Kim Kardashian has publicly promoted plant-based diets, citing their environmental benefits.

The event’s scale led to significant disruptions in Venice, with protesters descending on the city to demonstrate against the ceremony, according to NPR. “We are here to continue ruining the plans of these rich people, who accumulate money by exploiting many other people … while the conditions of this city remain precarious,” Martina Vergnano, one of the demonstrators, told an NPR reporter.

Meanwhile, the Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion philanthropic initiative launched in 2020, has committed at least $60 million to research and promote sustainable proteins, part of a broader effort to curb climate change and reduce agriculture’s environmental impact.

But critics argue Bezos’ personal lifestyle undercuts the Earth Fund’s mission. Environmentalist groups, such as Greenpeace, have called out billionaires for “greenwashing” while continuing high-carbon consumption. Social commentators online labeled the wedding a case of “performative environmentalism.”

Public figures like Rosie O’Donnell also chimed in. Reacting to the event, she posted a poem on her Substack.

“Venice sinks / the rich don’t blink / their caviar dreams / fuel private jet streams,” O’Donnell wrote.