private jets

Ultra-rich using jets like taxis, climate scientists warn

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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2lvq4el5vo

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The mega-rich are using private jets like taxis, warn climate scientists who tracked flights to calculate the planet-warming gases they release.

The scientists worked out that the carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute to climate change, rose by 46% between 2019 and 2023.

Researchers traced all private flights globally, including summer weekend trips to Ibiza, Spain and travel to the Fifa World Cup and the UN climate conference in Dubai.

Flying in a private jet for a single hour can release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the average person produces in a year, according to the research team.

“There are a lot of people using these aircraft as taxis, where you cover whatever distance by aircraft simply because it’s more convenient,” Professor Stefan Gossling, from Sweden’s Linnaeus University, who led the research, said.

“If somebody’s flight emits in one hour as much as an average human being emits in a year – just to watch a soccer game – then perhaps it shows those people think they are outside the standards that we have as a global community.”

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Article continues at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2lvq4el5vo

Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels. Second version, corrected text.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels. Second version, corrected text.
Continue ReadingUltra-rich using jets like taxis, climate scientists warn

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New analysis commissioned by Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe reveals a sharp rise in private jet flights to European holiday hotspots last year, with a significant increase during peak vacation periods compared to off-season travel. 

Check here for a Greenpeace factsheet on the research, with country-level data.

At European holiday destinations, private jet arrivals surged by 250% in July compared to January, indicating that most of these flights were for leisure purposes. Over 117,000 flights to 45 luxury destinations were recorded throughout 2023, resulting in more than 520,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Notably, Nice, Geneva and Palma de Mallorca emerged as the top three destinations for private jet traffic.

Clara Thompson, transport campaigner for Greenpeace Germany said: “While ordinary people face the devastating impacts of the climate crisis – extreme floods, droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires – the ultra-wealthy continue to hop aboard their private jets under the guise of business travel, but often for leisure trips to Europe’s most luxurious holiday spots. These private flights account for a disproportionate share of aviation emissions, accelerating the climate emergency. This extravagant luxury not only worsens environmental harm but also deepens inequality, leaving the majority to suffer the consequences of climate disasters and daily hardships.”

The research, conducted by the T3 Transportation Think Tank, focuses on destinations heavily promoted by luxury tour operators and private jet companies. The majority of private jet flights occurred in the Mediterranean during summer and shifted to the Alpine region in the colder months. The data reveals a significant seasonal spike, highlighting increased use for leisure and holiday purposes. 

Furthermore, 93.2% of these flights were within Europe, with 11.9% covering short distances of up to 250 km – journeys that could have easily been made using more sustainable options like trains or ferries. A single private jet flight to these destinations emits almost as much carbon as the average European citizen’s annual energy-related emissions (4.46 vs. 5.37 tonnes of CO2), underscoring how the ultra-wealthy disproportionately contribute to the climate crisis.

Greenpeace is calling for an immediate ban on private jets, and for governments to consider a wealth tax for billionaires in Europe to fund public goods such as affordable housing and public transport.

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Fair taxes on private jets and superyachts could have raised up to £2bn last year, Oxfam finds

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/fair-taxes-private-jets-and-superyachts-could-have-raised-ps2bn-last-year-oxfam-finds

A private jet operated by Aeropartner, comes in to land at Stansted Airport in Essex

FAIR taxes on private jets and superyachts could have raked in £2 billion last year to help communities devastated by climate change, an Oxfam report revealed today.

Britain has the second-highest number of private jet flights in Europe, trailing only behind France.

Oxfam found that there were 192,052 private jet flights to and from Britain last year, not including those for medical, government, or military purposes.

According to climate charity Possible, flying by private jet can be up to 30 times more polluting than standard flights.

Oxfam also found that Britain is also home to 450 fuel-guzzling superyachts.

Indiana University academics found that a superyacht with a permanent crew, helicopter pad, submarines and pools emits an estimated 7,020 (US) tonnes of CO2 a year. In comparison, petrol cars produce about 1,749kg a year.

Oxfam is calling on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to increase taxes on the super-rich using these modes of transport, and redirect the funds to help tackle the climate emergency, while preventing lower-income families from shouldering the burden.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/fair-taxes-private-jets-and-superyachts-could-have-raised-ps2bn-last-year-oxfam-finds

Continue ReadingFair taxes on private jets and superyachts could have raised up to £2bn last year, Oxfam finds

Flying shame: the scandalous rise of private jets

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/26/flying-shame-the-scandalous-rise-of-private-jets published 26 Jan 2023

Rishi Sunak boards an RAF plane to travel from London to Leeds. Photograph: No 10’s Flickr account

Last week, Rishi Sunak flew from London to Blackpool – his third private jet trip in 10 days. He’s far from the only one using air travel for short journeys. Just how much damage is this doing?

It was a Labour spokesperson who said the prime minister was behaving “like an A-list celeb”, after Rishi Sunak made his third trip by private jet in 10 days. Last week, he flew from London to Blackpool in a 14-seat RAF jet – a 230-mile journey that would have taken about three hours by train. The week before, he did the same to Leeds, which he could have done in two and a half hours by train, but which wouldn’t have looked nearly so glamorous – to go by the ludicrous photograph of him looking important and being saluted as he boarded the aircraft.

Private planes are up to 14 times more polluting, per passenger, than commercial planes and 50 times more polluting than trains, according to a report by Transport & Environment, a European clean transport campaign organisation. “It goes against the fact that the government has committed to net zero by 2050,” says Alice Ridley, a spokesperson for the Campaign for Better Transport. “They have said they want to see more journeys by public transport, walking and cycling. Taking a private jet is extremely damaging for the environment, especially when there are other alternatives that would be far less polluting and would also be cheaper.”

Private planes carry far fewer passengers, while about 40% of flights are empty, simply getting the aircraft to the right location. Flying short distances also means planes are less fuel-efficient.

“A private jet is the most polluting form of transport you can take,” says Matt Finch, the UK policy manager for Transport & Environment. “The average private jet emits two tonnes of carbon an hour. The average European is responsible for [emitting] eight tonnes of carbon a year. You fly to the south of France and back, that’s half a year in one trip.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/26/flying-shame-the-scandalous-rise-of-private-jets published 26 Jan 2023

Continue ReadingFlying shame: the scandalous rise of private jets

UK is Europe’s worst private jet polluter, study finds

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/30/uk-is-worst-private-jet-polluter-in-europe-study-finds

UK tops all league tables for highly polluting form of travel, with a flight taking off every six minutes last year

The UK is the private jet capital of Europe, with more flights than anywhere else on the continent, analysis has found.

Last year, a private jet set off from the UK once every six minutes, putting the country ahead of the rest of Europe when it comes to the extremely polluting form of travel. Many of these journeys have been called “polluting and pointless” by Greenpeace, as they are so short they could have easily been taken by train – and in one case, cycled in 30 minutes.

The analysis by the Dutch environmental consultancy CE Delft also found that the number of private jets taking off from the UK increased by 75% between 2021 and 2022 to 90,256 flights, emitting 500,000 tonnes of CO2 – more than in any other European country.

The UK tops all league tables for private jets, boasting the busiest route, the most polluting route and the most flights overall. Flights between London and Paris were the most popular route, accounting for 3,357 flights, and six of the top 10 routes overall also included London.

According to a Transport & Environment study, private jets are five to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes per passenger, and 50 times more polluting than trains. Previous research found that 50% of all aviation emissions were caused by 1% of the world’s population.

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Environmental campaigners at Greenpeace are calling for a ban on private jet travel, highlighting that the research shows almost one-in-four (39%) private jet flights in Europe were considered “very short-haul” meaning they were less than 310 miles (500km) and could easily have been train trips.

There were also some staggeringly inefficient routes found in the analysis. A flight between Blackbushe and Farnborough in Hampshire – which is just 4.6 miles (7.4km) – topped the charts for the most carbon-intensive route in 2021 and 2022. This is because it takes less than 30 minutes to cycle between the two airports.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/30/uk-is-worst-private-jet-polluter-in-europe-study-finds

Continue ReadingUK is Europe’s worst private jet polluter, study finds