When Fjordane flyklubb was founded in 1972, nobody talked about the fact that the planes had to be “green” or made a point that the hobby was not “necessary”. A good fifty years later, outgoing club manager Kjell Johnny Kvamme notes that he has to justify the activity. – Remember that the flight club is also a school where we train pilots, he says. He does not take the chance to set a date when they will replace the fleet with electric planes, but is happy and says they will be ready as soon as more planes are certified and available. – I don’t think the price will be a problem. Look at electric cars. They are not more expensive. Norway’s aircraft register shows that Norwegian microplanes are quite old. – We must become greener, and we are actively working on that, says John Eirik Laupsa of the Norwegian Air Sports Association. – For electric aircraft, which our segment is at the forefront of developing and introducing, the direct emissions are zero, says John Eirik Laupsa, secretary general of the Norwegian Air Sports Association (NLF). Photo: Merete Husmo Høidal / news Typical small aircraft with a piston engine have modest greenhouse gas emissions, but are, like private jets, exposed to greater pressure to stay on the ground. France decided in April to ban all use of private jets where a two-and-a-half-hour train journey is useful. In the same month, Schiphol announced that private flights are no longer welcome. Here at home, the Storting has taken a position on a proposal to ban private aircraft, with “exceptions for parachute clubs, veteran aviation circles and the like.” – It is good that the pressure is increasing. I hope more parties start to see the madness in this, says Sofie Marhaug in Raudt. A round of inquiries to the Storting shows that five parties (including Patient Focus) wish to ban or punish fossil fuel jets with stricter taxes (see below). – Private planes undermined the entire climate effort Lars Haltbrekken, SV – We want to ban private planes. But that probably won’t solve the climate crisis. Although the use has improved in the weather, the total emissions are still small in the larger context. But they are also quite unnecessary. Sofie Marhaug, Raudt – It is deeply problematic that at the same time as world leaders are talking about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, emissions from private aircraft are increasing. It undermined the entire climate effort. The leak continues while confidence is weakened. This is serious both for the climate and for democracy. Raudt believes that this should be limited to situations where there is a danger to life, health or safety or there is no travel alternative. However, there are plenty of scheduled flight options between Oslo and Brussels. Ola Elvestuen, Venstre – The Liberal Party is working to increase the electrification of air traffic. It only applies to the short-haul network and private planes. The other major move that needs to be made is to increase the blending requirement of advanced biofuel and produce e-fuel or hydrogen based on renewable energy. Then everyone must take responsibility and cut their greenhouse gas emissions, as flying is one of the big culprits for people in Norway. This also applies to rich people. When it comes to the Prime Minister’s use of private aircraft, we believe that it should be limited so that it is only used in times of need to reach important international meetings. A private flight ban in Norway will have little effect on the climate. If this is to be introduced, there must be broader regulation at European level. Kristoffer Robin Haug, MDG – Rather than banning private planes, we would rather get those who use private planes to take part in positive climate action by providing a financial incentive. We propose that the government pay out a conversion fee for fossil-based private aircraft, so that it can create a larger market, create an incentive to speed up the development within climate-friendly private aircraft, something that will benefit the entire rest of society as that technology gains further momentum on himself. Temperature in the world since 1880 compared to the average in the period 1991-2020 +0.5°C compared to normal? Click for explanation normal temperature 18801900192019401960198020002020Go to news’s Climate Status Why are most years blue and colder than normal? This is because all years are now compared with a new normal, i.e. the average weather in the 30-year period 1991-2020. These 30 years have been unusually warm. Most other years are therefore colder than normal. Until recently, researchers used a normal period that ran from 1961-1990. In these years it was relatively cold. It’s been quite a while since the 1960s and the new normal allows us to compare the weather with the climate (normal) that people actually experience today. The normal period is determined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and is used in all countries . In this way, we can compare the weather in Norway with other countries and we can measure changes across the globe. How can you calculate one temperature for the whole world? This number is the result of a complicated calculation. Measurements are made with thermometers both on land and on the sea surface (at sea the thermometers are attached to buoys). In some places the thermometers are close together, in other places they are far apart. Using a statistical method, the researchers are able to give the measurements different weights, so that all areas are equally important: The data used in this graph comes from the American NOAA. They have divided the globe into squares of 5° x 5° and calculate one temperature for each square. Then they can again work their way up to a global figure, for each month or for each year. They can also make figures for the temperature only over the ocean or only over land, or for the northern and southern hemispheres. The lines at the poles are smaller than along the equator due to the curvature of the globe. The researchers also take this into account in their calculations. Others, such as NASA or the Hadley Centre, calculate in slightly different ways than NOAA. Therefore, there are often small differences between the various data sets. In any case, the trend they show is the same: since 1880, the world has become warmer. – A hobby for the super-rich Liberals will wait for “broader regulation at European level”. In June, the European Commission said no to such an initiative, after the Austrian climate minister Leonore Gewessler put it on the agenda. – A hobby for the super rich, she said. According to a Greenpeace report, emissions from private planes in Europe doubled last year, and figures from Transport and Environment show that private plane passengers pollute up to 14 times as much as an airline passenger. This spring there was therefore turbulence for the president in the EU Council after his “extravagant” and “excessive” flight activity came to light. Printouts showed that he always flew between Brussels and Paris, a distance that corresponds to a train journey of one hour and 22 minutes. “Europe’s most shocking climate hypocrite”, acknowledged the German newspaper Bild. EU President Charles Michel flies regularly between Brussels and Paris. Photo: Geert Vanden Wijngaert / AP Støre has used private aircraft on seven occasions An overview from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs shows that the government has flown 16 times in six months, and that Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has used private aircraft from the Danish charter company Air Alsie on seven occasions. In contrast to Sweden and Denmark, Norwegian authorities do not have their own aircraft, but charter them when necessary. By comparison, Prime Minister Erna Solberg used private aircraft 36 times in the period 2013–2019. – Instead of reveling in private jets, they should support a ban. They send the wrong signal to most people by allowing themselves the unnecessary luxury of private jets, says leader of Greenpeace Norway, Frode Pleym. In 2022, there were twice as many departures by private aircraft from Norwegian airports as the year before (6,705 and 3,309 departures respectively). The most used route is between Oslo and Stockholm. – Who actually has a real need to fly private aircraft between Gardermoen and Arlanda? For us, the answer is self-evident: None!, says Pleym. Demands for stricter regulation are also supported by climate researchers (see below). – Regulation may be necessary Ingvild Kilen Rørholt, professional responsible for transport at ZERO – We believe that all growth in aviation must take place with emission-free aircraft, and this must also apply to this segment. So unless this growth happens with emission-free aircraft, regulation may be necessary. Admittedly, this is not where the major emissions from aviation occur, but in a world where climate targets are becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, all emissions count. Carlo Aall, sustainability professor at Vestlandsforsking – It is of course a small amount of the total emissions from aircraft that come from this type of flight, but the emissions per person are, on the other hand, extremely high. What is more serious is that this illustrates the extreme bias in who gets the most out of it when it comes to air travel: this is something that applies to the rich part of the world globally, and the rich part of the population in the rich countries. The Guardian recently wrote that purchases of private jets in 2023 will surpass the top listings from 2007, that is before the financial crisis. In total, there were 5.3 million private flights globally in 2022. This is a record. Photo: NTB – A ban will only be symbolic Other voices news has been in contact with say the climate gain from a ban will be “minimal”, “marginal” and “approximately zero”. And further that private aircraft are like a “green laboratory” for future and more climate-friendly alternatives in the air. – Although the use of private aircraft is increasing, the proportion of total aviation is vanishingly small. A ban or restrictions on use will only be symbolic, says Christian Kamhaug in Flypodden. A new report from CE Delft shows that private aviation in Norway accounts for approximately 26,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. On Monday, a new hydrogen-powered aircraft was presented during the Paris Air Show. The aircraft will be commercially available from 2030. Photo: Beyond Aero Jo Bjørn Skatval of the Norwegian Airmen’s Association says it is wrong to “single out” parts of air traffic as a scapegoat and that the private aircraft market can be an “important laboratory for sustainable aviation”. – It is essential that incentives are given to green solutions within all parts of aviation. It is those who know the industry who must help develop sustainability, he says. He adds: – Dragging out unfortunate extreme cases and short weekend trips is a derailment in the real climate debate. Morten Stordalen (Frp) in the Transport Committee at the Storting says it would be “complete nonsense” with a ban in Norway. – Private jets are not the problem, but the solution. Now the industry is announcing that the electric plane is just around the corner, then this traffic can be an engine in the shift. Italy has previously introduced its own special tax on the ownership of private aircraft, and also has its own air passenger fees for users graded according to the length of the journey. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news
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Increased pressure against the use of private aircraft – news Vestland
