The Minister of Transport asksto those who pollute the mostto act on their carbon footprint.
The subject has been swelling on social networks in recent weeks, the government has taken it up. At least its Minister in charge of Transport. ” When every Frenchman makes efforts in his daily life, those who can do the most and pollute the most must also act“, declares Clément Beaune to theFigaro. The Minister Delegate for Transport has been working on a regulation of private plane flights since July, he assures us, specifying information from the Parisian. It is a question both of controlling their ecological footprint, but also of following the directives of Emmanuel Macron who call on the French to save energy as winter approaches.
« We must change behavior and set rules governing these private flights, at European level, it is useful and necessary “, specifies the Minister in charge of Transport. According to Eurocontrol, the traffic monitoring body, business aviation has almost doubled its market share – in number of flights – compared to 2019, to rise to 12% of air transport in 2021.
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Julien Bayou, national secretary of Europe Ecology-The Greens, for his part, believes that he ” it’s time to ban private jets “. According to the ecologist, “c is the measure that penalizes the fewest people for the greatest and most immediate climate impact. It’s a matter of justice “. Immediate response from Clément Beaune: “Julien Bayou talks about “banning” the jets: what does that mean? It’s a pure slogan, absurd and abstract. »
“We will not do as before”
Béatrice Jarrige, project manager within the association Shift Project, chaired by Jean-Marc Jancovici, shares this more nuanced vision: “It is not a question of completely prohibiting flights, but the richest must make an effort to be sober.»
Among the avenues considered by the minister are accountability, regulation and taxation. For example, corporate jet owners should make their private jet travel public. Mentoring could also take place for short journeys where there is a rail alternative or commercial flights. For this, the Ministry of Transport would refer to the climate and resilience law, which prohibits flights to destinations accessible by train in less than two and a half hours.
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At European level, private aircraft flights could be included in carbon tax quotas, the reform of which is still under discussion. According to a report by the NGO Transport & Environment, published in May, private flights have a carbon footprint per passenger 5 to 14 times greater than commercial flights and 50 times greater than the train.
One of the first solutions is to adopt sustainable alternative fuels from cooking oils or municipal waste.
Xavier Tytelman, aeronautics specialist
Xavier Tytelman, an aeronautics specialist, nevertheless recalls “that private jets contribute to connectivity, especially during organ transport or medical evacuation». «For the regulations, it will be complicated to differentiate these thefts from the abuses caused by the ultra-rich“, he completes.One of the first solutions,according to him, is to adopt“sustainable alternative fuels from cooking oil or municipal waste“. For Anne de Bortoli, associate researcher at the Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, we should turn more to “biofuels” or “green hydrogen” despite “a displacement of the problem towards the soil ».
Yachts in the viewfinder
In addition to private jets, “mega-yachts” could also be part of the government’s thinking. Clément Beaune insists: “Yes, we will not do as before, including in our modes of transport. »
Luxury means of transport, business jets in particular, fueled controversy on social networks in the heart of summer. Internet users have been mobilizing for a few weeks to ask their wealthy owners to limit their movements. On Twitter, the Celebrity Jets account, followed by more than 116,000 people, publishes the flights of celebrities every day, thanks to public online data. Other accounts have also emerged on the web, including I Fly Bernard, which lists the thefts of certain French billionaires. Among the personalities targeted are Bernard Arnault, CEO of the luxury group LVMH, or the businessman Vincent Bolloré.
Clément Beaune will bring the subject during the discussions around the energy sobriety plan, wanted by Emmanuel Macron. The regulation of private aircraft flights will also be addressed by the Minister Delegate for Transport in October, during the next meeting with his European counterparts.
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