Reality star Kylie Jenner and her boyfriend Travis Scott have recently faced controversy over the environmental impacts of their exorbitant lifestyles. On Instagram Jenner posted a picture showcasing the couple’s His and Hers private jets. This comes after Jenner took 3-minute long flights across Los Angeles. The behavior led to some users on Twitter labeling Scott and Jenner “climate criminals.” While Americans are justified in their frustration with Jenner and Scott’s indifference to the environment, the true climate criminals are the celebrities and politicians who hypocritically claim to care for the climate but place ideology over true progress. 

>>>READ: The Left’s Top 10 Climate Denials

In January, actor and famed environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in the climate satire “Don’t Look Up,” was spotted on a yacht that has the same carbon footprint after seven miles of sailing as one car has in an entire year. Hollywood elite and self-proclaimed climate activist Mark Ruffalo led the charge to shut down Indian Point Nuclear Plant in New York this year, the closure of which led to an immediate spike in emissions in the Empire State.  

Climate hypocrisy extends into the halls of Congress, too. For years the progressive movement has used the topic of climate change to push a broader social and economic agenda including Medicare for All and universal pre-k, both of which climate scientists have stated as unnecessary to lower emissions. 

And while the left claims to “follow the science,” their classification of capitalism as “unredeemable” and “the absolute pursuit of profit at all human, environmental, and social cost” stalls human flourishing and climate progress. As C3 Solutions’ report Free Economies are Clean Economies has found, countries that embrace the principles of economic freedom are twice as clean as countries that do not. 

Conservatives in Congress have begun to flip the script on the environmental left by offering common sense solutions that benefit the health of our environment and our economy. This summer the Republican Energy, Climate, and Conservation taskforce, led by Rep. Garett Graves (R-LA), has been unveiling six key issue areas that will lower global emissions and increase prosperity. 

The release of the principles comes at a time when consumers are facing historically high inflation and energy costs. By offering durable solutions that can both reduce emissions and increase energy security, conservatives are offering a substantial upgrade to the command and control policies of the progressive left, which are having a devastating impact on Europe’s energy sector and economic well-being. 

>>>READ: How the Energy Policies of Germany’s Left Led to Environmental and Geopolitical Disaster

The American people are seeing the impacts of climate change, but are growing weary of the politicization of the issue. As recent polling from our sister organization C3 Action shows, there is a serious appetite for climate solutions that are rooted in economic freedom. Fortunately, Congress can deliver. 

C3’s Climate and Freedom Agenda outlines current policies that enjoy bipartisan support and can reduce global emissions in an economically feasible way. By coming together to advance commonsense legislation that unleashes American innovation and invests in next-generation technologies, policymakers from both sides of the aisle can make their stamp on climate action. 

While Americans are right to be frustrated with climate hypocrisy from Hollywood elites, the true “climate criminals” are the activists and the politicians who are putting their agenda ahead of meaningful, bipartisan action. 

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.