Private jets: climate killers at the expense of the general public!

Private jets: climate killers at the expense of the general public!

CO2 emissions from private aviation have recorded an alarming increase of 46 percent between 2019 and 2023! These shocking statistics show that the world's rich and powerful are flying around in their private jets while the earth suffers. A new study has now systematically examined the climate footprint of these luxurious flights and the results are shocking: in 2023, private jets emitted around 15.6 million tons of CO2 - this corresponds to the emissions of the entire federal state of Schleswig-Holstein!

Researchers led by Stefan Gössling from Linnaeus University in Kalmar, Sweden, evaluated over 18 million flights to understand the true extent of the problem. The results have been published in the journal “Communications Earth and Environment”. The study shows that private air travel is the most energy-intensive form of air travel and highlights that emissions from private jets often exceed those of an average person in an entire year. What's particularly frightening is that many of these flights are empty flights where the planes only transport passengers part of the route.

Luxury flights and their consequences

The numbers speak for themselves: There are over 18,000 private jets registered in the USA, which accounts for more than two thirds of the aircraft recorded worldwide. Germany follows in fourth place with 630 machines. The study also shows that private aviation is not only used for vacation trips, but also for major cultural and sporting events. The flights to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar caused an incredible 14,700 tons of CO2 emissions!

The authors of the study urgently call for regulation of the sector, as sustainable aviation fuel is still rarely used. Experts suggest introducing national measures such as emissions-based fees for domestic flights in Germany. But the challenge remains great: international flights require global solutions that must be coordinated by the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO. As the number of private flights increases, the question remains how long the Earth can endure this luxury.