Climate Activists Stage Massive Protest at Europe’s Biggest Private Jet Event, Targeting Luxury Mega-Polluters

Climate Activists Disrupt Private Jet Sales Event in Europe

Climate activists from various organizations, including Greenpeace, Stay Grounded, Extinction Rebellion, and Scientist Rebellion, have disrupted Europe‘s biggest business aviation sales event, the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva. The activists have demanded a ban on private jets that have doubled in global fleet for the past two decades. Sales of private jets are expected to reach their highest level this year, which is detrimental to the environment, human health, and climate.

The Protest

Over a hundred climate activists from 17 countries participated in peacefully occupying private jets at the business event held by Geneva airport. They chained themselves to aircraft gangways and the exhibition entrance to prevent prospective buyers from entering. The activists have put giant health warning labels on private jets marking them as toxic objects. Public service announcements from loudspeakers carried by the activists exposed the dramatic consequences of private jets for the environment and the hypocrisy of promoting them amidst rising social inequality.

The Call for Ban on Private Jets

The activists condemned the actions of the super-rich who have contributed immensely to the climate crisis, primarily through their use of private jets. They called for an end to this unjust and excessive pollution and demanded politicians introduce a ban on private jets to drastically reduce aviation and ultimately halt climate catastrophe. Private jets are not currently regulated in Europe and are exempted from key EU legislation that is supposed to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, despite being the most polluting, energy-wasting, and inequitable form of transport per passenger and kilometer.

The Rise of Sales of Private Jets

Sales of private jets are expected to reach their highest-ever level this year, estimated to be approximately $241 billion in value. EBACE, which is Europe‘s largest and one of the world’s biggest annual gatherings of business aviation stakeholders such as sellers, buyers, and producers of private jets, hosted by the European and American private jet industry groups EBAA and NBAA, has roughly half of the more than 10,000 visitors owning or operating an aircraft.

The Negative Impact of Private Jets on the Environment and Climate

Studies show that private flights produce about ten times the CO2 of a commercial flight per passenger kilometer and cause disproportionate amounts of micro-particle pollution and noise, which are harmful to human health, environment, and climate. CO2 emissions from private jet traffic in Europe have reached record levels in recent years, indicating the urgency of taking action against private jet usage to save the planet.

Conclusion

The rise of sales of private jets reflects a stark contrast between the super-rich and the rest of the world, where the former waste resources that negatively impact the environment and the climate while the latter face the brunt of the resulting climate crisis. Climate activists have voiced their opposition to this detrimental practice and called for an end to it. The use of private jets is the most polluting, most energy-wasting, and most inequitable form of transport per passenger and kilometer, which makes introducing a ban on private jets necessary to tackle climate change effectively. Politicians should act now before it is too late.

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