London Mayor Sadiq Khan slammed for 7,000 mile flight to climate change summit: 'Hasn't he heard of Zoom?'
Khan said 'some diplomacy' needs to be done 'face to face'
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan is facing criticism on social media for flying 7,000 miles from the United Kingdom to Argentina to participate in a climate change summit.
Khan began his three-day visit to Argentina Wednesday to speak at the C40 summit with almost 100 other mayors after taking a 7,000-mile overnight flight from London to Buenos Aires, Evening Standard reported.
The move earned sharp pushback from critics on social media who accused Khan of hypocrisy for the 14,000-mile round trip flight’s carbon emissions.
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"Sadiq Khan and his lackeys have flown a 14,000 miles round trip to Buenos Aries to lecture us on climate change," British politician Martin Daubney tweeted. "Which, by his own words, makes him ‘an accomplice to our destruction’ Why couldn’t Khan just do it by Zoom & set an example?"
London Mayor Sadiq Khan speaks on stage during Pride in London 2022: The 50th Anniversary at Trafalgar Square on July 2, 2022 in London. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Pride In London)
"Sadiq Khan and his team have racked up enough air miles to circumnavigate the world 14 times," the Twitter account for GLA Conservatives, a London conservative group, tweeted.
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Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta speaks during day one of the C40 World Mayors Summit Buenos Aires 2022 on Oct. 20, 2022 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Gustavo Garello/Getty Images)
"Londoners will be wondering which is heavier: the 23.1 tons of CO2 Sadiq Khan and his team will emit on the flight, or the hot air he will put out when he gives his inane speech," Tony Devenish, GLA Conservatives environment spokesperson, said in a statement. "Hasn’t he heard of Zoom?"
"All of my meetings normally as C40 chair take place virtually," Khan told Evening Standard. "A summit in Copenhagen I attended virtually. But some of the diplomacy and negotiations you have got to do face-to-face."
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan attends Pride in London 2022: The 50th Anniversary - Parade on July 2, 2022 in London. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
London City Hall told Evening Standard the flight and accommodation costs are being paid for by the climate summit and that Khan will be traveling with a "skeleton staff" until they return on Saturday.
"We simply cannot be accomplices to our own destruction," Khan tweeted this week. "We cannot be destroyers of our world. No to more fossil fuel investment. No to more fossil fuel subsidies. No to more fossil fuel exploration."
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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Khan's office said that climate change is the "biggest threat facing our planet."
"As the elected Chair of the C40 network of global cities, the Mayor is attending the C40 World Mayors Summit to lead critical discussions on the direct action major cities can take to help tackle the climate crisis while creating millions of new green jobs," the statement continued.
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"London is a global city and the Mayor has always played a vital role in banging the drum for the capital overseas to promote growth and to generate new trade and investment opportunities. This role is now more important than ever as we work to recover from the impact of the pandemic and the economic damage recently caused by the Government."