| July 31, 2019 11:54 AM
Scores of A-list celebrities arrived in Sicily, Italy this week for the annual "Google Camp" to discuss the threat of climate change while communing with some of the wealthiest tech entrepreneurs in the world to a posh, seaside resort.
The event is hosted by Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who reportedly intend for the camp to be a "meeting of the minds" between technology giants, powerful business owners, and others who are known to be global thought leaders.
Many guests, rumored to include former President Barack Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, Bradley Cooper, Mark Zuckerberg, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, are said to be arriving to the multi-day fest and climate discussion via private jets and mega yachts. Others are anticipated to arrive via helicopter from the Italian mainland.
More than 114 private jets were reported to have been expected at nearby Palermo airport, where camp guests would be transported to the resort by van. Mega yachts docked at a nearby beach were reported to belong to designer Diane Von Furstenberg, German pharmaceutical giant Udo J. Vetter, Google's Eric Schmidt, New Zealand tycoon Graeme Hart, and American billionaire David Geffen.
"Everything is about global warming. That is the major topic this year," a source told the New York Post.
Others criticized the nature of the event and luxurious travel methods taken by the attendees as hypocritical because they intend to discuss a possible climate crisis.
"There will likely be discussions about online privacy, politics, human rights, and of course, the environment, which makes it highly ironic that this event requires 114 private jets to happen," a regular attendee said.
Some estimates suggest that up to 100,000 kilograms of CO2 could be expelled into the air during the journeys of that many private jets. Mega yachts, like Graeme Hart's $275 million "Ulysses," can use up to 2,000 liters of fuel per hour when in motion.