Accusations of Hypocrisy as Private Jet use Doubles Travelling to Cop29

[Social Media]

 

Private jet traffic to Baku, Azerbaijan, has surged as global leaders and influential figures gather for the UN’s annual climate summit, Cop29, igniting accusations of hypocrisy over the choice of high-emission travel. In the lead-up to the event, Baku’s international airport recorded 65 private jet landings, with 45 arriving on Sunday and Monday as delegates convened. This marks a significant increase from last year, when 32 private jets landed during the same period. While this count is lower than in Dubai last year or Glasgow in 2021, the surge in high-carbon flights has drawn attention, especially as high-profile attendees seek to address the global climate crisis.

 

The optics of these arrivals have triggered criticism from environmental advocates who highlight the outsized emissions linked to private jets. Denise Auclair, representing the Travel Smart Campaign, stressed the impact of these flights, noting, “Private jets have a disproportionate impact on the environment. They are five to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes per passenger and 50 times more polluting than trains. The number of arrivals by private jet we are seeing at Cop29 puts front and center the hypocrisy of using a private jet while claiming to be fighting climate change.” Auclair added that for some executives, a single long-haul private flight can produce more CO₂ than multiple people might emit over the course of an entire year.

 

This critique echoes findings from Linnaeus University in Sweden, where researchers analyzed over 18.6 million private flights, revealing that certain celebrities produce over 500 times the annual carbon emissions of the average person. Events such as the 2022 Qatar World Cup and last year’s Cannes Film Festival have been linked to major spikes in private jet use. In comparison, last year’s Cop28 in Dubai saw 644 private flights, which collectively emitted an estimated 4,800 tonnes of CO₂.

 

Despite these figures, sources close to aviation operations argue there are “understandable” reasons for some dignitaries to forgo commercial travel, citing security and logistical challenges. Yet the environmental impact remains clear. Between 2019 and last year, annual private aviation emissions rose by 46 percent, reaching 15.6 million tonnes of CO₂—roughly equivalent to Nepal’s yearly emissions. Climate advocates like Alethea Warrington of the charity Possible denounce the practice. “For CEOs who claim to care about tackling the climate crisis, using a private jet to get to Cop shows blatant hypocrisy,” Warrington stated. “Travelling by private jet is a horrendous waste of the world’s scarce remaining carbon budget, with each journey producing more emissions in a few hours than the average person around the world emits in an entire year.”

 

The conference also saw some notable absences, with leaders from several of the top 13 carbon-emitting nations, including U.S. President Biden, China’s President Xi Jinping, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opting not to attend. Argentina’s President Javier Milei went a step further, ordering his country’s representatives to withdraw entirely from Cop29. Known for his controversial views on climate change, which he once dismissed as a “socialist lie,” Milei has also signaled the possibility of Argentina’s exit from the Paris Agreement, which mandates greenhouse gas reductions.

 

With over 67,000 people registered, this year’s conference is the second largest in history, following Dubai’s Cop28. The gathering has underscored the urgency of addressing climate change but also highlighted ongoing challenges in aligning global commitments with the actual practices of those in power. For many critics, the arrival of private jets in such high numbers is a troubling contradiction at a moment demanding tangible action.

 

Based on a report by The Times 2024-11-16

 

 

 

[Cryingdick]

What makes it worse is that this carbon is complete waste. When somebody drives to work they had to do it. They fly out there like morons. To some petrochemical based hellhole dictatorship wasting all that fuel for nothing. 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Of course it's hypocrisy, as that is what those people are.

 

I was listening to a bit of the propaganda coming out of it this morning and it's all about transferring trillions of $ from western nations to corrupt <deleted><deleted> countries that have plenty of money, but it's all being stolen by their leaders, and they do sod all about it except put their hands out for western money.

 

The biggest reason for the world being polluted IMO is overpopulation, yet there is zero about reducing that.

 

I saw a talk with 3 climate change idiots activists, and they kept going on about a carbon neutral world, which is a nonsense in the lifetime of any person alive today, IMO.

When their solutions include EVs I know that their opinions are pulled out of their <deleted>s. If they had a brain cell they'd be calling for a massive transition to hydrogen, which is inexhaustible, has proven technology, and doesn't depend on children illegally mining in the Congo. Doesn't have polluting batteries to dispose of either.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

What makes it worse is that this carbon is complete waste. When somebody drives to work they had to do it. They fly out there like morons. To some petrochemical based hellhole dictatorship wasting all that fuel for nothing. 

 

 

+1

 

It's like VDO conferencing doesn't exist, morons.

[James105]

They know its a scam.   We know its a scam.  They know that we know its a scam.  Thankfully Trump and Elon Musk also know its a scam so maybe, just maybe, all those scientists that have had research funding paid for on condition to support this nonsense will be able to get their research funding without needing to participate in the scam, and scientists can start to be honest about the reality of climate change and how little it is affected by human activities, and no matter how far back towards the dark ages we go, no matter how much extra tax we pay, it will no more affect the climate than Canute affected the tides.   

[Purdey]

I wonder what other form of transportation could they have used? 

The vast distance is a problem as well as the timing of commercial flights to Baku from some countries. 

One of my colleagues flew there. 

She could have walked.

No ships as it is double landlocked.

 

[KhunLA]

Definitely the epitome of hypocrisy.   As guessing the elite, are some of the worst abusive of natural resources.   Glad they know what's best for us normal folks.  

 

I wouldn't know what to do without their advice 

[Cryingdick]

4 hours ago, Purdey said:

I wonder what other form of transportation could they have used? 

The vast distance is a problem as well as the timing of commercial flights to Baku from some countries. 

One of my colleagues flew there. 

She could have walked.

No ships as it is double landlocked.

 

 

Have it somewhere else?

[ericbj]

Cop this one :

 

UN spin-offs are in large measure designed to further the interests of narcissistic global power-grabbers.

There are laws for them, and others for us.

 

Their programmes are tailored accordingly:  to disguise hideous end-goals as something the average citizen sees as desirable.
At least until the changes are virtually irreversible.

 

To exemplify:  study the "altruistic" non-governmental funding of the WHO.  And the influence this has on that organisation's priorities.

 

[The Old Bull]

9 hours ago, Purdey said:

I wonder what other form of transportation could they have used? 

The vast distance is a problem as well as the timing of commercial flights to Baku from some countries. 

One of my colleagues flew there. 

She could have walked.

No ships as it is double landlocked.

 

When you have two or three hundred people on a plane the CO2 per person is a lot less than when you only have one or two.