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By: Greenpeace International--13 January 2023
Amsterdam, Netherlands – As lobbyists, corporate bosses and political leaders head into the World Economic Forum 2023 (WEF), new analysis commissioned by Greenpeace International reveals the ecological hypocrisy of its attendees. While the WEF claims to be committed to the 1.5°C ===(34.7 DEGREES FH Paris Climate Target, its attendees arrive in droves of private jets.
Klara Maria Schenk, t***sport campaigner for Greenpeace’s European mobility campaign, said:
“Europe is experiencing the warmest January days ever recorded and communities around the world are grappling with e*****e w*****r events supercharged by the climate crisis. Meanwhile, the rich and powerful flock to Davos in ultra-polluting, socially inequitable private jets to discuss climate and ine******y behind closed doors. Davos has a perfectly adequate railway station, still these people can’t even be bothered to take the train for a trip as short as 21 km. Do we really believe that these are the people to solve the problems the world faces?” The research, commissioned by Greenpeace International and conducted by Dutch environmental consultancy CE Delft, found that during the week of last year’s World Economic Forum 1,040 private jet flights arrived and departed out of airports serving the Swiss luxury ski resort Davos, with about every second flight attributed to the meeting. 53% were short-haul flights below 750 km that could have easily been train trips, with 38% flying ultra short distances of under 500 km. The shortest flight recorded was only 21 km. Countries with the highest number of arrivals and departures out of Davos airports included neighbouring countries Germany, France and Italy.[1]
Researchers found that all private jet flights to and from airports serving Davos during the World Economic Forum 2022 caused a total of 9,700 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to the emissions of about 350,000 average cars in a week. Researchers attribute a majority of these to private flights undertaken by WEF participants. Climate-damaging emissions from private jet flights quadrupled during the one week of the meeting compared to the weeks before and after the event. “Given that 80% of the world’s population has never even flown, but suffers from the consequences of climate-damaging aviation emissions, and that the WEF claims to be committed to the 1.5°C Paris Climate Target, this annual private jet bonanza is a distasteful masterclass in hypocrisy. Private jets must be consigned to history if we are to have a green, just and safe future for all. It’s about time our political leaders start to lead by example instead of producing hot air in secret meetings with big business,” added Schenk.
Private jets are not regulated in the EU, even though they are the most polluting mode of t***sportation on the planet per passenger kilometre.[2] For the first time, in 2022, several EU countries have started to push for an EU-wide regulation of private jet emissions. Greenpeace is calling for a ban on private jets and short-haul flights with train alternatives in the EU. The issue of private jets garnered global public attention last year after several public figures faced criticism for taking ultra-short trips by private jet. The analysis released by Greenpeace International comes days before political and business leaders head into Davos to attend the 2023 World Economic Forum, with its self-proclaimed goal of wanting to tackle c*****e c****e and other “ongoing crises” calling for “bold collective action”.
[1] The basis of the analysis by CE Delft is data on private jet flights to and from airports in the vicinity of Davos, including the airports of Zürich, Geneva, Altenrhein, Dübendorf, Samedan, Friedrichshafen, and EuroAirport Swiss. The data of private jet flights has been provided by aviation analytics company Cirium. To determine the number of flights during the week of the World Economic Forum 2022 (May 21 – 27), researchers compared the flights in the WEF week with the flights in the weeks before and after. The CO2 emissions of all flights in the WEF week were calculated using the Eurocontrol Small Emitters Tool.
[2] According to a study by T***sport & Environment, private jets are 5 to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes (per passenger), and 50 times more polluting than trains. In 2018, 50% of all aviation emissions were caused by only 1% of the world’s population.
Private jet emissions quadrupled during Davos 2022
Climate campaigners accuse leaders of hypocrisy as flights emit as much CO2 in a week as 350,000 cars

Private jets are parked up at a Swiss air force base in Dübendorf during the 2020 Davos meeting. Photograph: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters
Helena Horton Environment reporter
Fri 13 Jan 2023 01.00 EST

private jet emissions quadrupled as 1,040 planes flew in and out of airports serving Davos during the 2022 World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting.
Climate campaigners accused the rich and powerful of hypocrisy in flying in on private jets to a conference discussing climate breakdown.
The Dutch environmental consultancy CE Delft calculated that during the meeting last year, CO2 emissions from private jets were four times greater than in an average week.

It’s time to ban private jets – or at least tax them to the ground
Akin Olla

67 private flights taken around the 2022 World Economic Forum were under 100km
0-50km 3 flights
51-100km 64
101-150km 24
151-200km 12
201-250km 72
Guardian graphic | Source: CE Delft

The number of private jet flights to and from airports serving the Swiss ski resort where the conference is held were twice as high during the 2022 meeting compared with a typical week, emitting as much CO2 as 350,000 average cars over that period.
World leaders and business chiefs are again expected to arrive in Davos on private jets next week, causing another spike in emissions.
Klara Maria Schenk, a t***sport campaigner for Greenpeace’s European mobility campaign, said: “The rich and powerful are swarming to Davos to discuss climate and ine******y behind closed doors, using the most unequal and polluting form of t***sport: private jets. Meanwhile, Europe is experiencing its warmest January days on record and communities around the world are grappling with e*****e w*****r events supercharged by the climate crisis.”
Of the flights to airports near Davos last year, 53% were short-haul flights of less than 750km (466 miles), which could have been done by rail or car, while 38% were over distances of less than 500km. The shortest flight recorded was just 13 miles.
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 t***sport per passenger kilometre.
Schenk urged leaders not to travel by private jet this year and to ban their use in general. “Given that 80% of the world’s population has never even flown, but suffers from the consequences of climate-damaging aviation emissions, and that the WEF claims to be committed to the 1.5C Paris climate target, this annual private jet bonanza is a distasteful masterclass in hypocrisy,” she said.
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“Private jets must be consigned to history if we are to have a green, just and safe future for all. So-called world leaders must lead by example and ban private jets and useless short-haul flights.”
The British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, was accused of making “a mockery of his climate pledges” and wasting taxpayers’ money after it emerged that he travelled from London to Leeds, a distance of about 200 miles, on an RAF jet.
Sunak used the plane to travel to the Rutland Lodge medical practice on Monday, which he visited alongside the social care minister, Helen Wh**ely. Downing Street insisted the mode of travel was the “most effective use of his time”.
The year is 2033. Elon Musk is no longer one of the richest people in the world, having haemorrhaged away his fortune trying to make Twitter profitable. Which, alas, hasn’t worked out too well: only 420 people are left on the platform. Everyone else was banned for not laughing at Musk’s increasingly desperate jokes.
In other news, Pete Davidson is now dating Martha Stewart. Donald Trump is still threatening to run for president. And British tabloids are still churning out 100 articles a day about whether Meghan Markle eating lunch is an outrageous snub to the royal family.
Obviously I have no idea what the world is going to look like in a decade. But here’s one prediction I feel very confident making: without a free and fearless press the future will be bleak. Without independent journalism, democracy is doomed. Without journalists who hold power to account, the future will be entirely shaped by the whims and wants of the 1%.
A lot of the 1% are not big fans of the Guardian, by the way. Donald Trump once praised a Montana congressman who body-slammed a Guardian reporter. Musk, meanwhile, has described the Guardian, as “the most insufferable newspaper on planet Earth.” I’m not sure there is any greater compliment.
I am proud to write for the Guardian. But ethics can be expensive. Not having a paywall means that the Guardian has to regularly ask our readers to chip in. If you are able, please do consider supporting us. Only with your help can we continue to get on Elon Musk’s nerves.
Arwa Mahdawi
Columnist, Guardian US

hygrometer3

How many hookers per plane load for these leader of leaders--What a clown show these big shots of the world are??