Dozens of climate activists have disrupted Europe’s largest private jet trade fair by chaining themselves to aircraft to protest against the sector’s carbon emissions.
The demonstrators on behalf of Greenpeace, Stay Grounded, Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion also attached themselves to the entrance gates of the event at Geneva airport in the hope of preventing prospective buyers from entering the annual show.
The activists, who were calling for a global ban on the use of private jets because of their carbon footprint, stuck tobacco-style health warning labels on some of the jets at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) saying private jets “burn our future”, “kill our planet”, and “fuel inequality”.
Mira Kapfinger, a campaigner from Stay Grounded, a network uniting more than 200 climate crisis campaign groups across the world, said: “While many can’t afford food or rent any more, the super-rich wreck our planet, unless we put an end to it.
“Apart from banning private jets, it’s also time to end air miles schemes which reward frequent flying, and instead tax frequent flyers. We need fair climate solutions.”
BREAKING ‼️
— Stay Grounded Network (@StayGroundedNet) May 23, 2023
In Geneva 100 climate activists supporting @StayGroundedNet, @ScientistRebel1, @ExtinctionR, and @Greenpeace, are interrupting the biggest private jet sales event in Europe #Ebace2023.
Follow us for live updates throughout this action!#BanPrivateJets
🧵 1/ pic.twitter.com/NRrFV33V8N
Klara Maria Schenk, a transport campaigner for Greenpeace, said: “For over 20 years, Europe’s super-rich have popped champagne behind closed doors at EBACE while shopping for the latest toxic private jets.
“Sales of private jets are skyrocketing, and with them the 1%’s hugely unfair contribution to the climate crisis – while the most vulnerable people deal with the damage. It is high time for politicians to put a stop to this unjust and excessive pollution and ban private jets.”
❗HAPPENING NOW❗
— Greenpeace International (@Greenpeace) May 23, 2023
More than 100 brave climate activists from @Greenpeace @staygroundednet @extinctionrebellion and @scientistrebellion demand #BanPrivateJets in #EBACE, the biggest private jet sales fair in Europe, an event for private jet users to keep buying and flying in their… pic.twitter.com/JUP7UCZnP2
Sales of private jets are expected to reach their highest ever level this year, according to a report by the US Institute for Policy Studies thinktank and Patriotic Millionaires, a group of super-rich people calling for higher taxes on the wealthiest in society.
The global fleet of private jets has more than doubled in the past two decades, and there were 5.3m private flights last year – more than ever before, according to the report.
Sales of pre-owned and new private jets are forecast to reach $34.6bn (£27.6bn) this year, up from $34.1bn last year.
Although private jet travel makes up only 4% of the global aviation market, it produces about 10 times as much greenhouse gas for each passenger.
Climate emissions from private aviation have increased by nearly a quarter since the pandemic, when flying of all types nearly ceased in many countries for an extended period.
The Patriotic Millionaires group is calling for a 10% tax on all purchases of secondhand private jets, and a 5% tax on new aircraft. This would have raised $2.6bn in tax last year, its report found. The group also wants at least a doubling of fuel taxes on private jet travel, compared with commercial aviation.
Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter and founder of Tesla, was named in the report as “the most active high flyer in the US”.
According to Patriotic Millionaires, Musk bought a new jet, made an estimated 171 flights in 2022, including one that lasted only six minutes, and contributed to the consumption of more than 800,000 litres of jet fuel, and was responsible for more than 2,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
He would have paid $4m in private jet taxes last year, if the proposed extra levies were implemented, the report calculated.
