The Met Gala, an annual event attended by numerous celebrities, experienced unexpected protests as climate activists called for higher taxes on the wealthy to address climate change. Paris Hilton and other celebrities were taken aback by the protesters assembled outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday evening.
Around 15 protesters were arrested for disrupting traffic in Manhattan and blocking the paths of celebrity motorcades.
Wielding pitchforks, the demonstrators drew attention to the role of society’s wealthiest 1% in exacerbating the climate crisis and demanded increased taxes on the rich. One activist, who was later arrested, aimed to shift the focus from the Met Gala’s extravagance to the impending climate catastrophe. Critics assert that the event, with an estimated cost of $50,000 per person and $450,000 per table, ostentatiously showcases wealth during a period when many people face financial struggles. The income disparity only amplifies the super-rich’s contribution to global warming.
A recent Oxfam study disclosed that the richest 1% produce over twice the climate-warming pollution compared to the bottom 50%. Billionaires are responsible for emitting a million times more pollution than the average person.
Oxfam comprises international charitable organizations devoted to eradicating global poverty and promoting social justice. Operating in numerous countries worldwide, they offer disaster relief, support long-term development initiatives, and advocate for policy changes to address the underlying causes of poverty and injustice.
Alice Hu, a Senior Climate Campaigner at New York Communities for Change (NYCFC), clarified that the protest was motivated by the detrimental impact the wealthiest 1% have on the environment. Hu underscored the contradiction between the ultra-rich profiting from fossil fuel investments and the rest of the world enduring extreme weather and global food shortages. Hu called on political leaders to implement targeted taxes on the affluent to fund climate crisis solutions.
Recently, climate activists in the US have been directing their efforts towards various prominent events and institutions. During the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 29, demonstrators brought attention to the Biden administration’s approval of new fossil fuel projects on public lands.
