Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday outlined plans to tax commercial flights and private jets, an initiative meant to combat planet-warming pollution from aviation that could hike the cost of business travel.
“We are working together with other countries to tax premium-class flights and private jets,” Sánchez told delegates at a summit in Belém, Brazil, that serves as a prelude to the United Nations COP30 climate conference beginning on Monday. “It is only fair that those who have more — and pollute more — pay their fair share.”
Sánchez’s comments foreshadow an expected declaration at COP30 by a number of countries, building on an initiative with France and Kenya, to increase levies on the most expensive forms of air travel, with a portion of the proceeds going to help the most climate-vulnerable nations.
The proposed fee is still in its early days, and it’s unclear whether it can get the broader political support necessary to make it work. Despite leadership on the part of France, Kenya and Spain, more countries would have to be enlisted, said a Spanish government official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Some of the world’s top emitters of greenhouse gases — as well as island countries bearing the brunt of the climate change they’re fueling — also addressed the second day of the forum.
They included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who marked his first appearance at the international climate summit since his May election. Germany is the EU’s top greenhouse gas emitter, but on Friday Merz cast the country’s industrial might as an asset.
“For Germany, the decision at this crossroads is clear: We are focusing on innovation and technological openness to halt climate change,” Merz said. “Our economy is not the problem, but rather the key to better protecting our climate.”
“We rely on innovation and technological openness when it comes to combining competitiveness with climate protection and social balance,” Merz said.
Kalani Kaneko, foreign minister of the Marshall Islands, evoked the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. “As an island state, we cannot help but see ourselves in the images coming out of Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti,” he said. “All we have to do is look outside our front doors to witness the impacts of climate change.”
Kaneko said the future of his country depends “on each and every party coming together to do more, faster.” Whether or not the leaders of the largest emitters attend COP30 in person, Kaneko added, they “must show up on paper with higher ambition” and more money.
(Reporting by Jennifer A. Dlouhy and John Ainger. With assistance from Arne Delfs and Daniel Basteiro.)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Also Read: OctaFx app founder Prozorov who duped Indians of Rs 5,000 cr held in Spain, ED to pursue extradition