Should you have taken a plane to go to COP29? Use of private jets boomed, but one group traveled to Baku by land

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Private jets aren’t the best image for attendees at a conference meant to combat climate change, but once again they’ve proven to be a popular mode of transportation for COP29.

According to data from the FlightRadar24 website, 65 private jets landed in Baku during the week ending Monday. Among them, 45 arrived on Sunday and Monday, at the start of the summit.

This is twice as much as the same week last yearwhere 32 private jets had landed at Baku International Airport.

Alethea Warrington, head of energy and aviation at the charity Possible, told Britain’s Times newspaper: “For CEOs who claim to care about tackling the climate crisis, the use of a private jet to get to the climate conference is blatant hypocrisy.”

“Travel in private jet is a horrendous waste of the world’s meager remaining carbon budget, with each trip producing more emissions in a few hours than the average person on the planet emits in an entire year.”

Some commentators point out that there are valid reasons for world leaders, such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to avoid commercial flights. But as private jets produce 10 times more carbon per passenger than commercial flights, it is a luxury the world can ill afford.

And this adds to the unease and atmosphere of doubt surrounding the climate summit, organized in the oil state of Azerbaijan, where more than 1,700 fossil fuel lobbyists are present.

How does the use of private jets at COP29 compare to previous years?

In contrast to the general trend of exponential increases in the number of COPs, COP29 is less important than last year’s summit in Dubai.

Around 67,000 people have registered to attend this year’s conference, compared to 83,000 for COP28.

There were 644 private flights linked to the Dubai COP, emitting around 4,800 tonnes of CO₂.

“The number of private jet arrivals we are seeing at COP29 highlights the hypocrisy of using a private jet while claiming to fight climate changeespecially from an equity perspective,” comments Denise Auclair of the Travel Smart campaign, which aims to reduce business air travel.

“An executive who takes a long-haul private flight burns more CO₂ than several normal people in an entire year.”

Are the organizers of the Copenhagen conference bowing to the demands of the rich?

Addressing an elite audience while maintaining credibility proved to be a delicate balance for COP organizers.

At COP26 in 2021, British organizers were accused by climate advocates of “pandering to the rich” by including two exclusive private jet airports in a travel guide for foreign delegates.

An estimated 60% of COP26 greenhouse gas emissions were attributed to international travel. To highlight this impact, researchers from University College London (UCL) have created a tool to calculate the carbon footprint of a trip to Baku.

With the land border between Georgia and Azerbaijan closed, it proved virtually impossible to get to the summit without flying.

But a trio of UK-based sustainability advisors managed to set an example by embarking on a two-week overland odyssey to get there, using 15 trains and three buses.