On May 23, French Minister in charge of Transport Clément Beaune announced that domestic short-haul flights will be discontinued if a rail alternative that takes two and half hours or less in travel time is available. Originally, floated in 2019 by France’s Citizens’ Convention on Climate, the new ban will affect flights between Paris and the cities of Nantes, Lyon, and Bordeaux, although connecting flights are unaffected by the ban.
Originally, the Citizens’ Convention on Climate had proposed a ban of flights if rail transport alternatives of four hours or less were available, but French airlines strenuously objected to the longer time, changing the final version of the new rule to two and a half hours.
“Achieving carbon neutrality means strongly stepping up our action in terms of decarbonizing transport, which still accounts for 30 percent of emissions. As we fight relentlessly to decarbonize our lifestyles, how can we justify the use of the plane between the big cities which benefit from regular, fast and efficient connections by train?” asked Beaune in a statement.
“I welcome the publication of the decree making the ban on domestic airlines effective when there is an alternative of less than 2h30 by train. This is an essential step and a strong symbol in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This measure is a world first which is fully in line with the Government’s policy of encouraging the use of modes of transport that emit less greenhouse gasses.”
French President Emmanuel Macron took a brief victory lap on Twitter: “Prohibit airlines in the event of an alternative of less than 2h30 by train,” Macron tweeted. “I committed to it. We are the first to do so.”
UFC-Que Choisir, a French consumer group, called for the government to go back to the four-hour rail transit guideline.
“On average, the plane emits 77 times more CO2 per passenger than the train on these routes, even though the train is cheaper and the time lost is limited to 40 minutes,” the group stated.
As a consumer group, UFC-Que Choisir also sought assurances that France’s national railway, SNCF, would not take advantage of the new law, asking for “safeguards that SNCF will not seize the opportunity to artificially inflate its prices or degrade the quality of rail service.”
Other French climate fanatics blasted the new ban as “symbolic” at best.
“All that fuss, for not that much,” said Geneviève Laferrère of France Nature Environment, an affiliation of French climate groups.
Laferrère believes that the ban could have an “educational” effect on travelers, but said that it doesn’t go nearly far enough to cut emissions, given that only three major cities from the Paris hub are affected.
“There are so many constraints that the effectiveness is gone,” Laferrère noted.
Other climate fanatics agreed: “The French flight ban is a symbolic move, but will have very little impact on reducing emissions,” said Jo Dardenne of Transport and Environment, an NGO dedicated to climate-friendly transportation.
So, even as Macron claims victory, in the eyes of climate hysterics, it’s only a symbolic move at best. In travelers’ eyes, it’s an unnecessary headache.
Climate Depot’s Marc Morano sees a more nefarious reason for France’s ban on short air flights.
“This is what a climate lockdown looks like. This is what the Great Reset looks like. The climate agenda demands you give up airline travel, car travel, cheap reliable energy, and plentiful food. Net Zero goals are now dictating vehicle shortages to force more people into mass transit,” Morano said.
“They’re going after your freedom of movement; they’re going after private car ownership, they’re going after everything it means to be a free person and turning it over to the administrative state,” Morano concluded.
Even if there was an emissions-driven climate crisis occurring, this gesture by the French government would do next to nothing to address it, in that it only covers about 5,000 air miles currently. In addition, the short-haul flight ban excludes private jets, which are on the rise in Europe and are reportedly more carbon-emitting than commercial aviation.
In the end, France’s ban on short-haul flights is nothing more than an empty political gesture, which satisfies no one, will do nothing to improve the climate, and takes away freedom of choice of everyday citizens. In short, it’s perfectly indicative of everything the climate cult stands for.
