New study makes concerning discovery about private aircrafts: 'The damage is done by those with a lot of money'

A new study shows the massive impact the travel habits of the super-rich have, specifically their increased use of private jets. 

What's happening?

The Associated Press reported information from a study in Nature's Communications Earth & Environment journal, showing carbon pollution from private jets has skyrocketed in recent years. Roughly 250,000 people collectively worth $31 trillion have spewed a truly stunning total of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. 

The study states that those 250,000 people have caused 17.2 million tons of carbon dioxide to enter the atmosphere in the last year alone. That's equivalent to the carbon pollution for the entire nation of Tanzania, which has a population of 67 million people. 

Making matters worse, private jet emissions have jumped 46 percent since 2019, and the worst polluter of the bunch pumped 2,645 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from their private jet travel alone. The average human is responsible for roughly 4.7 or 5.2 tons of carbon pollution per year, meaning this individual's travel was responsible for more than 500 times the carbon pollution of the average person. 

Why is pollution from private jet travel important?

Carbon pollution is the single biggest factor contributing to our warming planet. The aviation industry is responsible for roughly 4% of our annual carbon pollution, and private aviation is responsible for 1.8% of that 4% percent. 

While that may seem like a small number, remember that the vast majority of private aviation is done by an incredibly small section of the population, making their pollution contributions outsized by comparison. Their trips seldom include large groups of people, often short, and arguably unnecessary when they could easily be made via more environmentally friendly forms of travel.

"The damage is done by those with a lot of money, and the cost is borne by those with very little money," Stefan Gössling, the study's lead author, said.

"The problem is that the 26,000 aircraft and the individuals using them will say 'We are just a small group. We are not relevant in terms of emissions.' But everybody else will look at the small group and say, 'Look these are the super-emitters, if they are not relevant, how can we be relevant?" Gössling said. "And then you have this pointing at each other of two different groups that locks us in a circular argument."

What's being done about private aviation pollution?

There has been a significant degree of research put into finding more efficient fuels, and fuels that produce less harmful emissions when it comes to aviation. 

Hydrogen fuel, which produces only water when burned, has been making strides as a potential replacement for jet fuel, though its production is energy-intensive and thus "green hydrogen," which is made with electrolysis powered by renewable energy, is the only realistic path for hydrogen fuels to provide an improvement over the status quo. 

Researchers have also found a jet fuel that can be made from wastewater from breweries and dairy farms, which could cut aviation emissions by up to 70%. And Lanzajet has created a factory that can produce up to 9 million gallons of biofuel for jets. There is even research showing planes could be powered by poop. 

For his part, Gössling believes a tax on private aviation would go a long way toward reducing private jets' impact. 

"Given that technology is not going to resolve (climate change), I think the answer is clear," Gössling said. "We need to start at the top."

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