On any summer day in the south of France, the runways of Nice Airport bustle with private jets arriving from all over Europe. Many of these flights, bound for sun-drenched summer getaways or exclusive events like the Cannes Film Festival, have become emblematic of a broader trend: the rapid surge in private jets operated by the very wealthy and ultra-rich.

But behind the luxurious jets, stocked with champagne and plush leather seats, lies a heavy environmental toll. New research reveals that emissions from private jets have jumped by nearly 50% between 2019 and 2023.

When private jets are the new taxis

Private aviation, once a niche industry catering to business executives, has now transformed into a booming market largely driven by leisure. Researchers from Linnaeus University in Sweden, led by Professor Stefan Gössling, have documented this stark rise in emissions using flight tracker data, analyzing almost 19 million flights taken by nearly 26,000 private aircraft over four years.

“The wealthy are a very small share of the population but are increasing their emissions very quickly and by very large levels of magnitude,” Gössling told The Guardian.

The findings are alarming: private jet emissions reached 15.6 megatons of CO₂ in 2023, a figure equivalent to the annual emissions of Tanzania, a nation with over 60 million people. This surge is driven by the lifestyle choices of just 0.003% of the world’s population, yet the consequences ripple far beyond their exclusive circles.

The study revealed that nearly half of all private jet flights cover distances less than 500 kilometers, with some journeys being shorter than 50 kilometers. In many cases, jets are used like taxis—replacing car trips for the sake of convenience. “We know some people use them as taxis, really,” Gössling said. “If it’s just 50 kilometers, you could definitely do that by car.”

This rampant use of private jets for short-haul travel raises serious concerns about the misuse of resources in an era where climate goals are becoming increasingly urgent. After all, it’s hard to convince regular people to support more climate-friendly policies when the ultra-rich flash their carbon-intensive lavish lifestyle in your face. The emissions from a single hour on a large private jet can exceed the annual carbon footprint of the average individual.

From Bad to Worse

It may even get worse. Industry forecasts predict an influx of 8,500 new business jets over the next decade. As these aircraft enter service, they are expected to far outpace any gains in fuel efficiency, driving emissions even higher.

This expansion is particularly concentrated in the United States, which accounts for nearly 70% of all private jet flights worldwide. Other hotspots include Europe, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Massive surges of private jets are recorded during popular events. For example, The FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 attracted more than 1,800 private flights.

Beyond the staggering emissions, the issue also highlights the deepening inequality in the distribution of climate burdens. As Mark Maslin of University College London pointed out, “It’s not even the 1 per cent — it’s the 0.1 percent richest people in the world who click their fingers and use a private jet.”

Calls for Regulation

As climate change intensifies, the unchecked growth of private aviation threatens to undermine global efforts to reduce emissions. “If the very wealthy don’t have to reduce their emissions,” Gössling told New Scientist, “then we don’t have any reason for anybody else to reduce their emissions, because everybody else is emitting less.”

Several experts, including Gössling, are calling for stringent measures to address this disparity. One proposal includes a carbon tax on private jets, charging about €200 per ton of CO₂ emitted. Such a tax could make the ultra-wealthy pay for the environmental damage their flights cause. “We can put a price tag on every tonne [of carbon] that is emitted,” Gössling explained, arguing that it would be fair for the affluent to cover the costs of their lifestyle.

Raising landing fees to €5,000 per flight could also act as a deterrent, effectively doubling the cost of a typical private flight. Such measures could pressure the wealthier flyers to reconsider their use of private jets — at least those who aren’t billionaires.

Luxury Emissions

Critics argue that these emissions are not just a technical problem but a moral one. “This report presents further proof that billionaires are causing the climate crisis,” Jonathan Westin, an environmental advocate, told the Associated Press. “They are clinging to their private jets and oil profits while regular people see increasing floods, hurricanes, and wildfires.”

The issue raises profound questions about the role of personal responsibility in the climate fight. If the top 0.003% can continue flying unfettered, what incentive remains for everyone else to cut back? As global leaders convene at climate summits, such as COP28 in Dubai or the equally disgracefuly COP29 in Baku, the irony of private jets flocking to these events is hard to ignore. For many, it signals that the elite are not willing to practice the very sacrifices they preach.

The world is running out of time to meet its climate targets, and as the private jet industry continues its upward trajectory, the burden on the rest of the planet becomes ever heavier. As climate scientists have repeatedly warned, we are teetering on the brink of an irreversible disaster.

But whether the political will exists to challenge the privilege of the world’s wealthiest travelers remains to be seen.

The findings appeared in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.