COP 30 | Countries want to promote a tax on luxury air travel

Paris. Taxing premium-class flights and private jet travel to finance climate protection: A group of roughly a dozen countries plans to promote this proposal at the COP 30 climate summit in Brazil. "We want to expand the coalition and, above all, bring more European states on board," the AFP news agency learned from sources familiar with the plan. Germany is not yet a member.

In fact, the _CO2 footprint left by business and first-class passengers on scheduled flights is roughly three times larger than that of economy-class passengers. Private jets emit 14 times more climate-damaging _CO2 per passenger and flight kilometer than commercial aircraft.

Countries that do not currently levy such a tax on luxury air travel should, according to the initiators, do so in the future, with the revenue to be invested in climate protection and development aid. Countries that already have such taxes, such as France, should increase them and implement a broader tax bracket. For private jets, the tax could, for example, be linked to kerosene consumption, but other models are also under discussion.

The initiative of those advocating for a luxury airline tax is spearheaded by the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force, a group founded in 2023 and led by Barbados, Kenya, and France. Several island nations and African countries, as well as Colombia, Denmark, and Spain, are also members. Organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations are among its supporters. The Task Force intends to use COP 30 in Belém, Brazil, to advance its cause.

“We need innovative and fair financing” for the fight against climate change, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized on Thursday at the summit of numerous heads of state and government ahead of COP 30. “It is only fair that those who have the most, and therefore also pollute the most, pay their fair share,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez agreed in his speech on Friday.

The initiative faces headwinds from the aviation industry, which is relying on luxury offerings to attract affluent passengers. Air France, for example, unveiled its redesigned first class in March. On long-haul flights with the Boeing 777, the airline will offer wealthy customers their own "suites," featuring five windows, an armchair, and a lounge chair that converts into a bed.

Proponents of a luxury air travel tax argue that the ultra-wealthy are not particularly price-conscious anyway and will continue to fly even if ticket prices rise. "Sensibly designed air travel taxes can generate predictable revenue for climate and development financing while simultaneously strengthening fairness and solidarity," the group of supporters argues in a joint statement.

The initiators cite the Maldives as an example. Although the country is dependent on tourism, it levies high departure taxes: Business class charges the equivalent of just over €100, first class around €207, and private jets €415. "There's no reason why other countries couldn't do the same," say the proponents.

The Climate Alliance and Venro, the umbrella organization of German development organizations, called on the German government in their joint statement on COP 30 in June to take a more active role in the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force instead of remaining an observer state. They emphasized the need to develop innovative sources of financing based on the polluter-pays principle in order to offset the rising costs of the climate crisis, particularly for poorer countries.

Sabine Minninger, climate expert at Bread for the World, criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) for not making a corresponding announcement in his speech at the Belém summit. Germany's accession would be "an important step towards climate justice," she warned.

Merz pledges support for tropical rainforest fund

Instead, on Friday the Chancellor pledged financial support for the new global Forest Fund (TFFF). Germany will "contribute a significant amount to the success of this initiative," Merz said in a speech at the summit. To achieve climate protection goals, "tropical forests must be preserved while simultaneously mobilizing more private sector funds." This can "only succeed together with partners in the Global North and South."

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva launched the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) on Thursday at a two-day summit with some 50 heads of state and government. The fund will invest billions of dollars and use the profits to reward tropical countries that protect their rainforests.

The TFFF is planned to launch with a budget of ten billion dollars (8.7 billion euros), and is expected to grow to 125 billion dollars in the long term, primarily through private sector investment. Brazil and Indonesia, which also has large tropical forests, have each pledged one billion dollars (870 million euros) to the TFFF.

Norway announced on Thursday that, if enough other investors participate, it will inject up to 30 billion Norwegian kroner (2.56 billion euros) into the new climate protection instrument over the coming years. This means that current pledges already cover about half of the initial ten billion dollars needed. However, experts point out that many questions remain to be answered regarding the concrete technical implementation of the fund. Agencies/nd