Greenpeace calls Davos 'masterclass on hypocrisy' for extreme jet use

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Jan 11:21
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The report commissioned by Greenpeace finds that half of the private jets headed to Davos were intended for the WEF meeting.

Security officer stands guard over the forum at Davos in Switzerland (Bloomberg)

With Davos due to take place from January 16-20, hundreds of officials and top-notch individuals will be arriving to offer the world solutions to tackle climate change, and a bonus lesson according to Greenpeace - a “masterclass in hypocrisy,” as these officials will take private jets to reach the forum.

Greenpeace’s transport campaigner, Klara Maria Schenk said: “Given 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,” adding that “it’s about time our political leaders start to lead by example instead of producing hot air in secret meetings with big business.”

The World Economic Forum states on its website that the highly-confidential forum that takes place at the Swiss resort is a “platform to engage in constructive, forward-looking dialogues and help find solutions through public-private cooperation.” It adds that this year's theme is: “Cooperation in a Fragmented World.”

Defeating the purpose

On Friday, Greenpeace International released data pertaining to research they commissioned but carried out by Dutch environmental consultancy CE Delft, which discovered 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 [kilometers] that could have easily been train trips, with 38% flying ultra short distances of under 500 km,” they stressed.

Schenk explained that “the rich and powerful flock to Davos in ultra-polluting, socially inequitable private jets to discuss climate and inequality behind closed doors,” she noted. “Do we really believe that these are the people to solve the problems the world faces?”

During last year's forum, approximately 10,700 tons of CO2 was produced as a result of private jets used as transport, which amounts to almost what 350,000 average cars release in just a week. According to researchers, most of the flights were taken by WEF participants the week before and after Davos which quadrupled total emissions just from private jet flights.

This comes after the UN warned in November that carbon emissions from shipping were increasing, urging the massive industry to scrap old, polluting vessels and upgrade infrastructure to accelerate its green transition. UNCTAD, the UN's trade and development agency, highlighted the role shipping plays in the global economy, as over 80% of all traded goods in the world are moved by sea.

However, while the world is aware of the need to decrease greenhouse gas emissions to avert catastrophic climate change, the global maritime fleet recorded an increase in emissions by 4.7% between 2020 and 2021 alone.