As long as we flew, did we fly? Thoughts on the application of the “category” in air travel

“Four trips in a person’s life are enough” – the public debate about the climate crisis in France has reached its extreme

“I don’t believe in such a thing at all!” The tone was clearly set by the relevant minister during the meeting of French entrepreneurs (REF 2023) organized by the country’s largest employers’ association, Medef. Clement Beaune rejected the idea of ​​​​introducing a “cut” on air travel, put forward by some “Taliban” of the climate crisis in the public debate launched in France to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants that condemn future generations to death. The ecosystem is wilting – if not annihilating – to an unprecedented extent.

For French employers in the ongoing public consultations ahead of the 2024 budget, taxes are at stake. Taxation of corporate profits (and other actions and activities indirectly). But pioneering and innovative ideas are also on the table, which call into question consumer behaviors considered “acquired” from post-industrial society, and more precisely the social and economic progress of the past decades.

comet 30%

The French Minister of Transport said in response to the leading engineer’s proposal: “Even if transportation contributes 30% to the emission of gases into the atmosphere, I do not think that banning movement is the correct solution to the problem.” – Communications scientist Jean-Marc Yankovici calls for a radical limit on the number of flights that each person will be allowed to take.

The French expert suggested schematically: “We can create a system in which, when one is young, one can take two long trips to discover the world, and when one grows up, one can take a train to spend a holiday in the Mediterranean.” . Well, in the years between youth and retirement, everyone would be able to take a couple of extra plane trips, Zankovichi suggests.

It should be noted that in France air connections have been canceled for distances less than 500 km, which can be covered (and usually faster) by train.

Taxes as a disincentive

Air travel is extremely polluting, and the environmental footprint of air travelers is huge. Asked whether we should stop air travel to save the planet, Clement Bonn says no. Instead of prohibitions, he chooses…obstacles. That is why he has sounded the alarm among businessmen and the largest employers’ union in his country, Mediv. Because it proposes to increase air ticket prices by imposing higher taxes on tickets, in order to finance other, more environmentally friendly means of transportation, especially railways.

The aviation industry, as well as the automobile industry, oil companies, highway operators and other related industries, view the increase in taxes as a “punishment” for their activities. In this case, Boone believes, emissions from aircraft must be reduced in a number of ways, “including increased investment in innovation.” Investments to be financed (f) from revenues generated from increased taxes on existing polluting air travel.

“Learn the letters, my child.”

The Transport Secretary is not alone in his view that aviation and hydrocarbons in general should be taxed more heavily to fund technological progress (among other things). Christelle Morance, President of the Regional Council of the Grand Loire Department (Paie de la Loire), participated in the same roundtable with the social partners.

The center-right politician (belonging to the Republican Party), commenting on engineer Yankovici’s proposal to ban flights, said that such an order would essentially serve nothing. “We can close all airports, but the problem is not French. It is about the entire planet,” he added. “We have the United States, China and India, which are countries that will not agree to such a ban,” she added, implicitly calling for “other ways” to reduce abuse in travel. aviation and encourage innovation that will “change the way aviation is done.” Today».

The managing director of ADP, the company that runs Paris’s airports, is also betting on “technological progress” to eliminate destructive carbon. Augustin de Romanet said that electric planes will be able to fly on a regional scale in 2028-2029 already! “Young people will have to study mathematics and chemistry to help us achieve the technical progress that makes air transport environmentally sustainable,” the French director said.

source: after that