• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
SuccessWealth

Heiress Abigail Disney arrested for chaining herself in front of Hamptons airport to protest ‘billionaires spewing greenhouse gasses to get to their palatial beach homes’

By
Chloe Berger
Chloe Berger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chloe Berger
Chloe Berger
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 18, 2023, 1:43 PM ET
Philanthropist, activist, and heiress, Abigail Disney was recently arrested while protesting the carbon emissions caused by wealthy people's private-jet usage.
Philanthropist, activist, and heiress, Abigail Disney was recently arrested while protesting the carbon emissions caused by wealthy people's private-jet usage.Bloomberg / Contributor—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Heiress Abigail Disney has long spoken from the inside about the damages of extreme wealth. Born into wealth herself, she’s well-acquainted with its perks but has seen enough about carbon emissions and rising inequity to know that jet setting isn’t worth the price to society. She’s had a long crusade against private jets, which has recently landed her in hot water with the Hamptons police.

Disney was arrested on Friday for taking part in a demonstration alongside members from New York Communities for Change, the Sunrise Movement, and Planet Over Profit, according to local newspaper The East Hampton Star. Participants, including Disney, blocked the East Hampton Airport to stop private planes from departing and raise awareness regarding the tax to the climate that these jets and their owners create. The Hamptons are a famously wealthy area where the rich tend to fly off too.

Activists sat in front of the airport entrance for about 90 minutes, linking their arms with chains attached by PVC pipes and duct tape, reported the Star. They chanted slogans like “Climate change is f***ing real, give us all a green new deal” and “tax the rich,” according to the outlet. 

Disney was one of 14 arrested out of roughly 30 attendees, per the local paper, charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. New York Communities for Change posted a video of Hamptons police using power tools to break the pipes Disney was chained into. “At 63 I still had not popped my fingerprint/mug shot cherry so I did this,” Disney tweeted of her arrest, adding “the last thing this planet needs is billionaires spewing greenhouse gasses to get to their palatial beach homes.” 

At 63 I still had not popped my fingerprint/mug shot cherry so I did this. Because the last thing this planet needs is billionaires spewing greenhouse gases to get to their palatial beach homes. Just so wrong. https://t.co/lkGxmXBfwK

— Abigail Disney (@abigaildisney) July 14, 2023

Disney has long called out the habits of the wealthy and their carbon footprint. The philanthropist tweeted earlier this year that “private jets are a cancer,” suggesting business class as an alternative for those who say they charter planes for privacy reasons. Resolving to be more conscious about travel in 2023, she added that she occasionally flies business and “fail[s] to see what is so hard about that.” 

She’s also a part of the hundreds of ultra-wealthy individuals comprising the Patriotic Millionaires, a group that campaigns for higher taxes on the wealthy, including themselves. They’ve called out inequality, with Disney writing in a press release that “extreme wealth is eating our world alive.” 

A report from the Patriotic Millionaires and left-leaning think tank Institute for Policy Studies, looked at data from Wealth-X to find out how much the rich actually fly solo. One of the main offenders, Elon Musk, had yearly private jet emissions that were 132 times higher than the entire carbon footprint of the average American. 

“The 1% are killing the planet,” The New York Communities for Change tweeted out the day of the protest that. As arrested activist who worked at Planet Over Profit, Teddy Ogborn, said in a statement shared with Teen Vogue, “These same rich people farting into the Hamptons on private jets are often the ones who make their money in industries hugely accelerated the climate crisis.”

Disney recognized her privilege and past predilection for flying private in a statement obtained by Fox News. “I know it’s hard to give up a luxury that is special,” Disney said, “but I also know that the time has passed for spewing greenhouse gasses like this merely for our personal comfort.” She told the Star that while flying private is a “lovely” experience, she’s “done the impossible dream” by doing what many of us do— flying commercial to help combat pollution. Citing recent climate disasters and the record-breaking heat this summer, Disney deemed global warming a pressing emergency. “We don’t have time,” she said. 

With a self-reported net worth of $120 million, Disney has more than enough to bail herself out of her arrest. But the Earth might not be able to be bailed out if the wealthy continue to travel this way.

The Fortune 500 Innovation Forum will convene Fortune 500 executives, U.S. policy officials, top founders, and thought leaders to help define what’s next for the American economy, Nov. 16-17 in Detroit. Apply here.
About the Author
By Chloe Berger
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Success

Nike’s earning numbers exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. But CEO Elliott Hill’s next test is the World Cup
RetailNike
Nike’s earning numbers exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. But CEO Elliott Hill’s next test is the World Cup
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 30, 2026
13 hours ago
Young worker at desk
SuccessGen Z
Remote-first fintech giant Revolut is making the office compulsory for new Gen Z grads—and they’ll earn flexibility like their peers after one year
By Emma BurleighJune 30, 2026
18 hours ago
Henry Kravis
SuccessCareers
KKR cofounder once impressed Roy Disney with a habit most analysts skipped—it turned a 1-hour meeting into all-day mentorship: ‘I thought I’d died and gone to heaven’
By Preston ForeJune 30, 2026
19 hours ago
Bill Gates (left) and Warren Buffett
SuccessWarren Buffett
Warren Buffett breaks from a ‘lifetime’ pledge to the Gates Foundation as the Epstein fallout deepens
By Sydney LakeJune 30, 2026
19 hours ago
kean
PoliticsElections
New Jersey Republican to reappear in Congress after unexplained 4-month absence
By Mike Catalini and The Associated PressJune 30, 2026
21 hours ago
swiss
EuropeHeat
It’s so hot in Switzerland that yodelers are standing in fountains
By Jez Fielder and The Associated PressJune 30, 2026
21 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
6 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
AI
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
By Catherina GioinoJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
23 hours ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.