Ultra-rich using jets like taxis, climate scientists warn

The mega-rich are using private jets like taxis, warn climate scientists who tracked flights to calculate the planet-warming gases they release. The scientists worked out that the carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute to climate change, rose by 46% between 2019 and 2023. Researchers traced all private flights globally, including summer weekend trips to Ibiza, Spain and travel to the Fifa World Cup and the UN climate conference in Dubai. Flying in a private jet for a single hour can release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the average person produces in a year, according to the research team. “There are a lot of people using these aircraft as taxis, where you cover whatever distance by aircraft simply because it's more convenient,” Professor Stefan Gossling, from Sweden's Linnaeus University, who led the research, said. “If somebody’s flight emits in one hour as much as an average human being emits in a year - just to watch a soccer game - then perhaps it shows those people think they are outside the standards that we have as a global community.” In 2023, private flights produced an estimated 15.6m tonnes of carbon dioxide - the equivalent of 3.7m petrol cars being driven over the course of a year - according to the research.<br/>