5 ms·

You know what else would help reduce carbon emissions? Banning private jets and mega-yachts. Funny how you never see that in the mainstream discourse.

dj_gitmo 3y ago
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the emissions from 10s of millions of personal vehicles is much more significant than a few thousand yachts. Don't get me wrong, I'm for adding restrictions on those things, but I see this private jet argument pop up as a way to avoid doing anything.
- ejb999 3y ago
  its not a way of not doing anything, its a way of showing the absurdity of telling little old ladies they can't get a new gas stove - or the struggling landscaper that he has to buy more expensive battery operated mowers, but Bill gates can fly around the planet on one of his many private jets - either it is a climate 'emergency' or it isn't. When the elites get real about making a personal sacrifice (not greenwashing one) - then maybe, just maybe the everyday Joe will get the message. ...and buying carbo credits doesn't count - that is no different than beating the heck out of your wife, and donating money afterwards to a battered women's shelter to absolve your sins.
- game_the0ry 3y ago
  If the people who travel by private jet to davos keep telling the people who don't what to do and why, their arguments would have more credibility if they actually made similar sacrifices. Its hard to take Bill Gates seriously about climate change when he flies around unencumbered on his own private plane.
coldpie 3y ago
Those are not significant sources of emissions. All air travel, including commercial and private and goods transportation, is 1.9% of global emissions. All sea travel, including commercial and private and goods transportation, is 1.7%. Road travel is 11.9%.[1] Of that, more than half is personal transportation vehicles (i.e. not freight)[2]. This is why personal vehicles are the #1 target for transportation-related improvements. [1] https://ourworldindata.org/images/published/Emissions-by-sector-%E2%80%93-pie-charts_1302.webp https://ourworldindata.org/images/published/Emissions-by-sec... [2] https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/transport-sector-co2-emissions-by-mode-in-the-sustainable-development-scenario-2000-2030 https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/transport-sec...
- timbit42 3y ago
  What percent will private jets be once everyone is driving EVs?
  - coldpie 3y ago
    I don't have numbers, but I would guess still pretty tiny. There just aren't a lot of private jets out there, compared to other forms of transport. If your goal is to reduce emissions quickly, it makes sense to target the largest sources first, and I don't think private jets will be near the top of the emissions list for a long time.
    - bryanlarsen 3y ago
      But we're already targeting the 3 biggest sources: the EV transition has started, the renewable energy transition has started, and the heat pump heating transition has started. Agriculture is the only remaining biggie. After the big 4 the next biggest are all in the 1-3% range -- stuff like cement, steel, fertilizer and jets. IOW, jets are near the top of the list now, tied for second after agriculture.
      - coldpie 3y ago
        I'm skeptical private jets are in the 1-3% range, even after the EV and grid conversions are complete, but I would love to see some sources if you have any! It's not something I've looked into.
- ejb999 3y ago
  The math doesn't matter - tell the poor and middle class they can no longer buy a gas lawnmower or gas stove, but the rich can own 5 mansions, multiple private jets and 400' yachts (all of which damage the environment way more than the average poor or middle class person does), then people will push back - and rightly so. Its hard to sell a 'climate emergency' when the people pushing it the hardest (i.e. Gates) are the worst polluters. If there really is a climate emergency, then everything should be on the table - you know, shared sacrifice and all - otherwise it just stinks of the rich faking a climate emergency so they can get richer. See the '$50 trillion dollar opportunity' that has the Davo's elite salivating on how to make themselves even richer: https://www.dw.com/en/davos-green-transition-is-50-trillion-investment-opportunity/a-56375018 https://www.dw.com/en/davos-green-transition-is-50-trillion-... and btw, these Davo's elites pushing for this '$50 trillion opportunity', by scaring the public about the 'climate emergency', by and large all flew to Davos in their private jets.
axus 3y ago
Expanding OPEC to cover all producers, and setting global oil production at an environmentally safe limit would make efforts to control demand unnecessary.

dj_gitmo 3y ago

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the emissions from 10s of millions of personal vehicles is much more significant than a few thousand yachts. Don't get me wrong, I'm for adding restrictions on those things, but I see this private jet argument pop up as a way to avoid doing anything.

ejb999 3y ago
its not a way of not doing anything, its a way of showing the absurdity of telling little old ladies they can't get a new gas stove - or the struggling landscaper that he has to buy more expensive battery operated mowers, but Bill gates can fly around the planet on one of his many private jets - either it is a climate 'emergency' or it isn't. When the elites get real about making a personal sacrifice (not greenwashing one) - then maybe, just maybe the everyday Joe will get the message. ...and buying carbo credits doesn't count - that is no different than beating the heck out of your wife, and donating money afterwards to a battered women's shelter to absolve your sins.
game_the0ry 3y ago
If the people who travel by private jet to davos keep telling the people who don't what to do and why, their arguments would have more credibility if they actually made similar sacrifices. Its hard to take Bill Gates seriously about climate change when he flies around unencumbered on his own private plane.

coldpie 3y ago

Those are not significant sources of emissions. All air travel, including commercial and private and goods transportation, is 1.9% of global emissions. All sea travel, including commercial and private and goods transportation, is 1.7%. Road travel is 11.9%.[1] Of that, more than half is personal transportation vehicles (i.e. not freight)[2]. This is why personal vehicles are the #1 target for transportation-related improvements. [1] https://ourworldindata.org/images/published/Emissions-by-sector-%E2%80%93-pie-charts_1302.webp https://ourworldindata.org/images/published/Emissions-by-sec... [2] https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/transport-sector-co2-emissions-by-mode-in-the-sustainable-development-scenario-2000-2030 https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/transport-sec...

timbit42 3y ago
What percent will private jets be once everyone is driving EVs?
- coldpie 3y ago
  I don't have numbers, but I would guess still pretty tiny. There just aren't a lot of private jets out there, compared to other forms of transport. If your goal is to reduce emissions quickly, it makes sense to target the largest sources first, and I don't think private jets will be near the top of the emissions list for a long time.
  - bryanlarsen 3y ago
    But we're already targeting the 3 biggest sources: the EV transition has started, the renewable energy transition has started, and the heat pump heating transition has started. Agriculture is the only remaining biggie. After the big 4 the next biggest are all in the 1-3% range -- stuff like cement, steel, fertilizer and jets. IOW, jets are near the top of the list now, tied for second after agriculture.
    - coldpie 3y ago
      I'm skeptical private jets are in the 1-3% range, even after the EV and grid conversions are complete, but I would love to see some sources if you have any! It's not something I've looked into.
ejb999 3y ago
The math doesn't matter - tell the poor and middle class they can no longer buy a gas lawnmower or gas stove, but the rich can own 5 mansions, multiple private jets and 400' yachts (all of which damage the environment way more than the average poor or middle class person does), then people will push back - and rightly so. Its hard to sell a 'climate emergency' when the people pushing it the hardest (i.e. Gates) are the worst polluters. If there really is a climate emergency, then everything should be on the table - you know, shared sacrifice and all - otherwise it just stinks of the rich faking a climate emergency so they can get richer. See the '$50 trillion dollar opportunity' that has the Davo's elite salivating on how to make themselves even richer: https://www.dw.com/en/davos-green-transition-is-50-trillion-investment-opportunity/a-56375018 https://www.dw.com/en/davos-green-transition-is-50-trillion-... and btw, these Davo's elites pushing for this '$50 trillion opportunity', by scaring the public about the 'climate emergency', by and large all flew to Davos in their private jets.

axus 3y ago

Expanding OPEC to cover all producers, and setting global oil production at an environmentally safe limit would make efforts to control demand unnecessary.