(Sharm el-Sheikh) Numerous posts on social media have denounced the use of private jets by COP27 participants in Egypt, adding to recurring criticisms targeting the UN climate summit.
Posted at 9:03 a.m.
Various estimates have been put forward regarding the number of jets transporting delegates to this meeting in the seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, on the shores of the Red Sea.
Criticisms of supposed “hypocrisy and elitism” came up most often in these posts, according to a report released Thursday by the NGO Climate Action Against Disinformation, which analyzes trends in fake news on social media.
400 private jets
Egyptian sources have corroborated widespread claims that around 400 private jets landed in Egypt for COP27 which started on November 6 and will end on November 18. Some media have cited lower estimates, relying on apps flight tracking, but some private flights may not have been taken into account.
An erroneous message in Spanish put the number of private jets at 1,500. It was accompanied by an old photo of planes taken at an aviation forum in Las Vegas (southwest of the United States).
“More than 400 private jets have landed in Egypt in recent days,” a source close to the Egyptian air authorities, who requested anonymity, told AFP on Thursday.
“A meeting took place before COP27, officials were expecting these jets and made arrangements at Sharm el-Sheikh airport to accommodate the planes,” the source added.
On November 6, Ahmed Moussa, a talk-show host close to the Egyptian leadership, bragged on air that “Sharm el-Sheikh airport had received more than 300 private jets”.
Comparison with COP26
Criticism of private jets had already increased during COP26 in November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. Media quoted estimates of the number of jets used in the event ranged from less than 200 to around 400.
AFP verified the facts by publishing messages in different languages from this period showing a photo of planes parked on a runway, claiming that they had been used by leaders during COP26. Reverse image searches revealed that the photo had in fact been taken years earlier and showed planes at an airport in New Orleans (southern United States).
However, the peddlers of false information were not the only ones to criticize the COP27 delegates.
On November 5, hundreds of climate activists blocked the departure of private jets from the tarmac at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, calling for a decrease in air traffic and a limitation of private jet flights, in order to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas.
Private jet emissions
Private jet passengers produce significantly more CO emissions2 per person than commercial flights.
According to the European NGO Transport and Environment campaigning for clean transport, a private jet can emit two tonnes of carbon dioxide in an hour and is five to 14 times more polluting per passenger than an airliner.
More than 33,000 participants are registered for COP27, where high-level discussions are taking place on increasing funding for developing countries to green their economies and prepare for the consequences of global warming.
Scientists say climate change caused by humans burning fossil fuels is worsening natural disasters, including floods, heat waves and droughts, which are likely to intensify in coming decades if CO emissions2 are not reduced.
“Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish,” said United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on November 7 before nearly 100 heads of state gathered at COP27.