Personal behavior — even Taylor Swift's — is a minor part of climate change

Celebrities would be doing the Earth a favor if they cut back on private jets, but combating global warming will require bigger systemic changes, not just better personal behavior.

Driving the news: A recent report from Yard, a U.K. marketing firm, found that Taylor Swift's flying habits put her atop the list of celebrity emissions "offenders" — and gets at a long-running debate about how much of a difference individual decisions make.

The big picture: Private planes spew a lot of CO2. And this is hardly the first time celebrities or political leaders — including Al Gore, Elon Musk and Drake — have been shamed for their carbon-intensive lifestyles.