A climate action group in the United Kingdom recently protested at London Oxford Airport.
Activists with Extinction Rebellion marched to the airport July 5. Their goal was to draw attention to the number of private jets carrying ultra-wealthy passengers to and from the airport.
The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority reported that 9,709 private jet flights arrived at or departed from Oxford Airport in 2024, although activists said the number is as high as 13,774.
By the group's estimate, that's an average of 38 private jets per day. The airport boasts that it has more than 30 jets available for private charter.
The problem with private jets is that they emit carbon at dramatically higher rates than commercial airplanes. A Transport & Environment report found that private jets are 5-14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial planes and 50 times more polluting than trains.
Freya Chambers of Extinction Rebellion spoke with the Oxford Mail ahead of the protest, saying that nations across the globe need to focus on reducing carbon pollution to save the planet.
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"Instead, the U.K. is now being hailed as the private jet capital of Europe," she said. "Oxford Airport is a hub for private flights by the wealthy elite, while the local community pays the price in pollution and an accelerating climate crisis."
While it's difficult to control the 1% of people who are causing 50% of the world's aviation pollution, as Transport & Environment estimated, the average person can help. Most of the world is not ultra-wealthy, and therefore, they must fly commercial when traveling.
Luckily, many booking websites, such as Google Flights, have made it easy to track the carbon pollution of specific flights. They've added features that show which flight will produce the least amount of pollution. When booking a flight, travelers can be mindful of the carbon footprint they produce and work to reduce it.
Meanwhile, it's essential to stay informed and speak out against actions that harm our planet. Extinction Rebellion has planned a Summer of Action focused on aviation pollution and issues beyond.
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