Emissions from private jets have soared in Europe, according to a new Greenpeace report. According to the environmental organization, private jets have emitted a total of 5.3 million tons of CO2 in the last three years, due to the number of flights skyrocketing. They have in fact gone from almost 119,000 in 2020 to 573,000 in 2022.
The amount of carbon dioxide emitted is more than Uganda – a country of around 46 million people – produces in a year.
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“Extremely unfair”
This data highlights the devastating climate impact of global elites.
“It is extremely unfair that the rich can ruin the climate like this,” said Thomas Gelin, EU transport campaigner at Greenpeace. According to Gelin, vulnerable people are victims of poverty due to rising fuel prices, but “they have done the minimum to cause these crises.”
Researchers found that the number of private jet flights in Europe increased by 64 percent last year, with CO2 emissions more than doubling.
Most private flights were carried out in France, the United Kingdom and Germany – Europe’s largest and richest nations – and over distances of less than 750 km.
How bad are private jets for the environment?
Personal aircraft have significantly higher emissions than other modes of transportation. An average trip produces CO2 equivalent to driving a petrol car from Paris to Rome 16 times.
Greenpeace is calling on governments and the European Union to ban private jets and short-haul flights where there is already a reasonable rail connection.
In November, Oxfam found that billionaires are responsible for a million times more greenhouse gas emissions than the average person.
Should private jets be banned?
The busiest private jet route in Europe last year was Paris-London, with an average of nine flights each day, according to the Greenpeace report.
This route, however, has a direct and regular rail connection that takes just under two hours to connect the two capitals.
The French government is pushing for the European Union to tighten rules on private jets, short-haul flights and very cheap flights.
Curbing emissions from aviation is part of the fight against climate change, although drastic action is also needed in many other sectors.
Read also: Air travel of the future, the new trends of the aviation industry
