France is jumping on the climate-friendly bandwagon by banning flights on short routes that can be covered by train in less than 2.5 hours, a move the country hopes will cut down on carbon emissions.
The change, sparked by a 2021 climate law, will mostly rule out air trips between Paris and regional hubs such as Nantes, Lyon, and Bordeaux, with connecting flights unaffected. The law specifies that train services on the same routes must be frequent, timely and well-connected enough to meet the needs of passengers who would otherwise travel by air.
Some airlines asked the European Commission to investigate whether it was legal, news outlet Le Mond reported. The government had secured Air France's compliance with the plan in exchange for a 2020 coronavirus financial support package.
Laurent Donceel, interim head of industry group Airlines for Europe, told Agence France-Presse via the BBC that governments should support "real and significant solutions" to airline emissions instead of "symbolic bans."
In fact, a recent study by Giulio Mattioli of Italy, Milena Büchs of England and Joachim Scheiner of Germany found that "targeting shorter flights, which often exist to alleviate physical obstacles imposed by physical geography, will contribute little to reducing the impact of aviation on climate, and that policy initiatives that target longer flights are urgently needed."
The step comes as French politicians have been debating how to reduce emissions from private jets. Members of France's Green Party have called for banning small private flights altogether, but Transport Minister Clément Beaune last month suggested a higher climate charge for users of private jets.
The U.S. is trying to fall in line with other nations in cutting its carbon emissions. Although such a move with short-haul flights has not been proposed, President Joe Biden is hoping new tail-pipe emission standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency will force the auto industry to switch from the production of gasoline-powered cars to electric vehicles, even though consumer demand is low for EVs. Biden's goal is to have electric vehicles account for 67% of all U.S. auto sales by 2032.
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