News
‘Abolish Billionaires’
Activists disrupt private jet conference over climate impact of the super-rich.
5 February 2025
A new report from Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe has revealed a staggering rise in private jet traffic linked to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, which begins next week.
Despite stable attendance figures, the analysis shows that the super-rich are increasingly opting for the most polluting form of transport.
The report, ‘Davos in the Sky’, tracked flights to and from airports surrounding the Swiss resort over the last three years.
The findings show that 709 additional private jet flights were recorded during the week of the 2025 forum.
This represents a 10% increase from 2024 (628 flights) and a three-fold rise compared with 2023 (227 flights).
Many of these jets were used as short-distance shuttles, flying in and out of the area multiple times during the same week.
The environmental cost of these luxury journeys is immense.
One flight from Saudi Arabia to Davos can emit over 42 tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of what seven residents of Europe produce in an entire year.
Around 70% of the private jet routes within Europe identified in the report could have been completed by train within a single day.
‘It’s pure hypocrisy that the world’s most powerful and super-rich elite discuss global challenges and progress in Davos, while they literally burn the planet with the emissions of their private jets. The time for action is now. Governments must act to curb polluting luxury flights and tax the super-rich for the damage they cause.’
HERWIG SCHUSTER
A Greenpeace transport campaigner
Greenpeace supports the UN Tax Convention negotiations and urges governments to implement new global tax rules on extreme wealth, including a levy on luxury aviation such as private jets and first and business class flights.
In the UK, Greenpeace is calling for a full ban on private jets.
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