A French ban on home short-haul flights when various practice journeys exist got here into power this week, with one lawmaker hailing it as “an important step” within the nation’s efforts to chop greenhouse gasoline emissions.

The legislation, which was printed by way of decree, basically prohibits public inner flights between French locations when a practice journey of below 2 hours and half-hour is accessible.

France is dwelling to an intensive high-speed rail community. In keeping with a CNBC translation, the flight substitution applies solely when practice journey “supplies a passable various service.”

It means public passenger flights between Paris-Orly and cities like Bordeaux, Nantes and Lyon, are affected by the legislation. Connecting flights will not be impacted.

In a press release translated by CNBC, Clément Beaune, transport minister, described the transfer as “an important step and a robust image within the coverage of lowering greenhouse gasoline emissions.”

Beaune additionally stated the ban was a “international first that’s absolutely according to the Authorities’s coverage of encouraging the usage of modes of transportation that emit fewer greenhouse gases.”

The World Wildlife Fund describes the environmental footprint of aviation as “one of many fastest-growing sources of the greenhouse gasoline emissions driving international local weather change.”

The WWF additionally says air journey is “at the moment probably the most carbon intensive exercise a person could make.”

The information out of France comes as the broader debate about personal jet use wages on. In March 2023, evaluation printed by Greenpeace confirmed the variety of personal jet flights in Europe final 12 months jumped by 64% to a document excessive of 572,806.

Using personal jets by high-profile, rich individuals generates a considerable amount of dialogue.

Throughout a BBC interview earlier this 12 months, Microsoft co-founder Invoice Gates was requested for his view on the cost {that a} local weather change campaigner’s use of a non-public jet was hypocritical.

“Effectively, I purchase the gold customary of, funding (CO2 removing agency) Climeworks to do direct air seize that far exceeds my household’s carbon footprint,” Gates, who was being interviewed in Kenya, replied.

“And I spend billions of {dollars} on … local weather innovation. So, you realize, ought to I keep at dwelling and never come to Kenya and study farming and malaria?”

The billionaire added that he was “comfy with the concept that, not solely am I not a part of the issue by paying for the offsets, but in addition by the billions that my Breakthrough Power Group is spending, that I am a part of the answer.”

Whereas the direct air seize sector has high-profile backers, it faces challenges. The Worldwide Power Company notes that capturing carbon dioxide from the air “is extra power intensive and subsequently costly than capturing it from a degree supply.”

It provides that applied sciences like direct air seize “will not be an alternative choice to chopping emissions or an excuse for delayed motion, however they are often an vital a part of the suite of know-how choices used to realize local weather objectives.”

—CNBC’s Sam Meredith contributed to this report