U2 360 Tour Plane
Mitt Romney has a new plane, well sort of new. Its new to him.
Romney's plane was previously personalized for the band U2's 360 tour, complete with the lyric "The future needs a big kiss" emblazoned on the nose.
The aircraft types the campaign chose have been workhorses for commercial passenger airlines for decades, recognizable by the two engines attached to the rear of the plane and two seats on one side of the aisle and three on the other in economy class. For the campaign planes, however, the charter company has fitted the aircraft with business class style seats.
U2 did have a couple of planes for the tour. This last tour was the largest CO2 footprint of any band that toured the world. However this was impacted by the Live Nation Global Touring groups commitment to reduce and reuse as much as possible
Mitt Romney Tour America Plane
U2’s CO2 emissions are the equivalent of the waste created by 6,500 average British or Irish people in an entire year, or equal to leaving a standard 100 watt lightbulb on for 159,000 years.
The band’s vast emissions are dozens of times bigger than Madonna’s carbon footprint on her 2006 world tour, despite her extravagant demands and 250 staff. She produced 1,635 tonnes in air transport.
U2’s PR agency RMP did not return a request asking if the band were buying carbon offsets to contribute towards the damage of their enormous emissions.
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 travelling 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.”
Pollution experts said U2’s 44 concerts in Europe and North America this year will produce 20,117.50 tonnes of CO2 emissions, unless the band unexpectedly decide to ship to equipment to the US, in which case the footprint would be 5091.41 tonnes.
Bono and his bandmates will generate 64.42 tonnes of CO2 by flying 22,037 miles to this year’s gigs in their private jet, currently stationed at Nice airport, near their Cote d’Azur holiday villas in the south of France.
Most of the carbon footprint comes from transporting the three 390-tonne stages, using 3,286.60 tonnes of CO2, with another 916.07 tonnes for extra equipment. Next year they are expected to play 20 concerts in North America in June and July and 20 dates in Europe in August and September.