Rich people often have a CO₂-intensive lifestyle. Swedish researchers have now investigated exactly how much greenhouse gas emissions are caused by flying private planes. Austria therefore has 2.94 private jets per 100,000 inhabitants.
This puts us relatively far ahead in an international comparison, even ahead of Germany (0.75). Globally, 69 percent of all private jets are in the US, and there are also relatively more from Switzerland than from Austria. The study looked at jet types that carry individuals and very few people. However, real small aircraft were excluded.
This data is linked to the average fuel consumption of 72 relevant aircraft types. However, CO₂ emissions are only responsible for a third of the climate impact of flying, alongside factors such as contrails and nitrogen oxide water vapor emissions.
Overall, the analysis found that CO₂ emissions from private flights increased by almost half between 2019 and 2023 (from 10.7 to 15.6 million tonnes). “Private air travel has in principle never stopped, but has become even more attractive due to the pandemic,” the research team said. By comparison, normal scheduled flight traffic sometimes came to an almost complete standstill due to the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Many flights under 50 kilometers
The private jets are used, for example, for shopping trips to London, Milan or New York. But the number of private aircraft is also high around major sporting, cultural or political events. Examples were and are the Cannes Film Festival, the 2023 ‘Super Bowl’ in the US and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Many super rich people attended several of these events.
Many of these flights are highly avoidable, says the research team led by Stefan Gössling of Linnaeus University in Kalmar, Sweden. “In many cases, private aviation appears to be replacing the car for time or convenience reasons, as evidenced by the 4.7 percent share of very short flights of less than 50 kilometers.”
Politicians need regulations to take the increasing consequences into account. “If regulations are arranged at the top, climate policy will become much more acceptable to ordinary citizens. But the opposite also applies: if the rich can emit as much as they want, there will be resistance to climate policy among citizens who emit much less,” says Gössling.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
