Dozens of climate activists have disrupted
Europe’s largest private jet trade fair by chaining themselves to
aircraft to protest against the sector’s carbon emissions.
The demonstrators on behalf of Greenpeace, Stay Grounded, Extinction Rebellion
and Scientist Rebellion also attached themselves to the entrance gates
of the event at Geneva airport in the hope of preventing prospective
buyers from entering the annual show.
The
activists, who were calling for a global ban on the use of private jets
because of their carbon footprint, stuck tobacco-style health warning
labels on some of the jets at the European Business Aviation Convention
and Exhibition (EBACE) saying private jets “burn our future”, “kill our
planet”, and “fuel inequality”
Mira Kapfinger, a campaigner from Stay Grounded, a
network uniting more than 200 climate crisis campaign groups across the
world, said: “While many can’t afford food or rent any more, the
super-rich wreck our planet, unless we put an end to it.
“Apart
from banning private jets, it’s also time to end air miles schemes
which reward frequent flying, and instead tax frequent flyers. We need
fair climate solutions.
Staff respond to activists from Greenpeace, Stay Grounded, Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion in Geneva. Photograph: Thomas Wolf/Stay Grounded/Reuters
Klara Maria Schenk, a transport campaigner for Greenpeace,
said: “For over 20 years, Europe’s super-rich have popped champagne
behind closed doors at EBACE while shopping for the latest toxic private
jets.
“Sales of private jets are skyrocketing,
and with them the 1%’s hugely unfair contribution to the climate crisis
– while the most vulnerable people deal with the damage. It is high
time for politicians to put a stop to this unjust and excessive
pollution and ban private jets.”
