France Bans Short-haul Flights

France has formally banned domestic flights on short routes that can be covered by train in less than two-and-a-half hours in a move aimed at reducing airline emissions and fight climate change.  

The legislation, which came into effect on Tuesday, will mostly rule out air trips between Paris and regional hubs such as Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux, with connecting flights unaffected. 

Max Boycoff, chairperson of environmental studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, said the French law will be a test case for governments around the world. 

“While this material impact is quite minimal – only 2 percent* of global emissions come from aviation – in symbolic ways, it has a lot of purchase”, he told Al Jazeera. “The way in which this generates conversations, much like the one we’re having now, can open up further possibilities for emissions cuts elsewhere”.

[* The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) put it as 2.5 percent based on 2018 data]. 

FYI, aviation – while it often gets the most attention in discussions on action against climate change – accounts for 11.6% of transport emissions. It emits just under one billion tonnes of CO2 each year – around 2.5% of total global emissions. International shipping contributes a similar amount, at 10.6%. And rail travel and freight emit very little – only 1% of transport emissions. Other transport – which is mainly the movement of materials such as water, oil, and gas via pipelines – is responsible for 2.2%. 

The biggest culprit is said to be road travel which accounts for three-quarters of transport emissions. Most of this comes from passenger vehicles – cars and buses – which contribute 45.1%. The other 29.4% comes from trucks carrying freight. 

As Boycoff said: “Everything does count and the ways we get from place to place does matter, and transportation overall contributes to somewhere between one-quarter and 30 percent of global emissions. This demonstrates the power of climate policy action”. 

Although the measure was included in a 2021 climate law and already applied in practice, some airlines had asked the European Commission to investigate whether it was legal. 

The law specifies train services on the same route must be frequent, timely and well-connected to meet the needs of passengers who would otherwise travel by air – and able to absorb the increase in passenger numbers. 

Laurent Donceel, interim head of industry group Airlines for Europe (A4E), said governments should support “real and significant solutions” to airline emissions, rather than “symbolic bans”. A4E highlighted their own net zero by 2050 strategy, which includes switching from jet fuel to non-fossil sources and deploying battery or hydrogen-powered aircraft.