Who is startled by this?  Just read Gristmill regularly for plenty of evidence that jet travel is the sine qua non of green cool, the indispensable requisite for participation in the many oh-so-important conferences, awards dinners, meetings, etc.  

People LOVE saying "When I was in [Carthage, Washington, New York, Seattle, ...] last week talking to [Al, Senator X, ...]" letting you know of their importance and of the momentous affairs that are so delicate that they must conducted in person.

Point out the sheer counterproductivity of jet travel for environmentalism and you'll be called everything from a "hair-shirt environmentalist" to a stooge of Rush Limbaugh.  Apparently flying around to discuss the climate crisis is ok; questioning that premise is absolutely not.

Save the world: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 5% annually.

...getting tied up in knots and wasting time worrying about how much carbon dioxide you are responsible for, or wasting time at a global warming conference that gets nothing done, all the while emitting more carbon dioxide (that's what's nice about commenting on grist).