Private jet use resulted in a four-fold increase in emissions as 1,040 planes traveled to and from airports in Davos, Switzerland, for the 2022 World Economic Forum (WEF) gathering, reports the Guardian.
Dutch ecological consultancy CE Delft figured that the increase in private airplanes flying in and out of Davos had resulted in a significant uptick in carbon dioxide emissions. Activity during Davos was twice as high during the WEF 2022 meeting than in a typical week — equal to the output of 350,000 cars during the same period.
The report comes as political and business leaders again prepare to gather in Davos next week, likely causing another significant increase in emissions.
Klara Schenk is with Greenpeace’s European mobility campaign. She told the Guardian that even as rich and powerful people swarm “to Davos to discuss climate and inequality behind closed doors, using the most unequal and polluting form of transport,” much of “Europe is experiencing its warmest January days on record and communities around the world are grappling with extreme weather events supercharged by the climate crisis.”
The Guardian has more on the contradiction between the purpose behind Davos and rampant private jet use:
The 2023 WEF meeting has a self-proclaimed goal of tackling the climate emergency and other “ongoing crises”, and has called for “bold collective action”. Private jet flights are not regulated in the EU, but they are the most polluting mode of transport per passenger [kilometer].
Schenk implored leaders to forego private jet use. She pointed out that most people on Earth have “never even flown.” Yet, they are still impacted by “the consequences of climate-damaging aviation emissions.”
According to Schenk, while the WEF claims a commitment to the Paris climate target, “this annual private jet bonanza is a distasteful masterclass in hypocrisy.”
“Private jets must be consigned to history,” Schenk said, “if we are to have a green, just, and safe future for all.”
