Are Private Jets REALLY Bad for the Environment?

Would taxing private jets help the fight against climate change? Myles explores the data on private jet emissions and how much they contribute to climate change.

Check this out, too! How Beavers are Fighting Climate Change: https://youtu.be/juFtc_xAjKY

*What causes climate change?*
Since the Industrial Revolution– we’ve been burning more and more fossil fuels like gas for cars, or natural gas and coal for electricity. And all this releases tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, which is a problem because CO2 is a “greenhouse gas.” Greenhouse gases are molecules that trap heat in the atmosphere, which leads to an overall warming effect on the planet. CO2 isn’t the ONLY greenhouse gas, there’s methane, nitrous oxide, and some others in the mix. AND burning fossil fuels isn’t the only way greenhouse gasses are released into the atmosphere. BUT CO2 currently accounts for the greatest warming. And since the late 1800s when global average temperatures have increased by about 1-degree celsius and this overall warming has had a huge impact on the climate causing things like more severe droughts, water scarcity, wildfires, floods, melting of polar ice, and sea level rise. And if we want to keep climate change from getting WAY worse, we need to reduce our CO2 emissions.

*How much carbon dioxide do private jets emit?*
A private jet can emit 2 metric tons of CO2 in just one hour. For comparison, the average car emits about 4.6 metric tons in an ENTIRE year! And private jet use is gaining in popularity. In 2021, there were over 3.3 million private flights. One report estimates that in 2016, private jets emitted about 33.7 million tons of CO2. For comparison, Denmark, a country with 5.5 million people emitted 27 million tons of CO2 in 2020. And private jets are five to 14 times MORE POLLUTING than commercial airlines on a per-passenger basis. When it comes to private jets there’s a disproportionate amount of CO2 coming from a very small group of people who can afford this luxury.

*What to do about private jet pollution?*
Some people are calling for a straight-up ban on private jets, which is getting some traction in places in Europe. Since trains have a much lower carbon footprint, France has already banned commercial short-distance flights when there are train routes available. Others think we should heavily tax private aviation and use those taxes to invest in greener private jet technologies– which could help reduce the environmental impact of private jets.

SELECTED SOURCES
Private Jets: Can the Super Rich Super Charge Private Aviation? https://www.transportenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021_05_private_jets_FINAL.pdf

Climate Activists in at least 13 Countries Protest Private Jets https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/climate-activists-least-13-countries-protest-private-jets-rcna56666

Private Jet Use is More Popular Than Ever https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/19/private-jet-use-is-more-popular-than-ever-and-first-time-buyers-are-driving-record-sales.html
The global scale, distribution and growth of aviation: Implications for climate change https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378020307779#

Climate Change And Flying
https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-aviationCarbon emissions of richest 1% set to be 30 times the 1.5°C limit in 2030 https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/carbon-emissions-richest-1-set-be-30-times-15degc-limit-2030

Celebs with the Worst Private Jet Emissions (Yard)
https://weareyard.com/insights/worst-celebrity-private-jet-co2-emission-offenders

Climate Change in US Will Hurt Poor People The Most (CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.co
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:50 Popularity of private jets
1:36 How much CO2 do private jets emit?
2:14 Private Jets and climate change
4:23 Policy ideas for private jets
5:18 Conclusion

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