If planes pollute far more than trains, why is flying in Europe up to 30 times cheaper than trains?

Europe seems to be promoting dirty forms of transport with its cheap flights and pricey train tickets. Campaigners believe “outrageous” tax breaks for airlines are encouraging a growing number of travellers on the continent to heat the planet.

On average, train tickets cost double the amount charged for flights operating on the same routes, according to an analysis from Greenpeace.

The campaigners compared tickets for both modes on 112 routes on nine different days. They found the cost of taking a train from London to Barcelona was up to 30 times the cost of travelling on a plane. Shocking, right?

There Is No Way To Fly Without Harming The Environment

“€10 airline tickets are only possible because others, like workers and taxpayers, pay the true cost,” said Lorelei Limousin, a climate campaigner at Greenpeace. She called on politicians to turn the situation around for the planet and people’s sake.

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Flying is one of the most polluting activities and also one of the hardest to clean up. Experts have criticised schemes touted to offset emissions from aviation as flawed. While burgers have plant-based meats as cleaner alternatives, there is no way to fly without harming the environment.

The findings, however, failed to surprise everyone. It’s no news that airlines in Europe pay little tax on tickets or VAT and no taxes on kerosene. Their emissions are only priced for flights within Europe – at a level below the social cost of carbon.

‘Make The Aviation Industry Pay Taxes According To Impact’

Poor taxation on aviation made European governments lose out on €34.2 billion in 2022, according to Transport and Environment, a green campaign group. The report published earlier this month found the “tax gap” is set to rise further, reaching €47.1 billion in 2025.

Did you know about 2.5% of global carbon pollution comes from the aviation industry? But flights release other gases as well that heat the Earth further. A study co-authored by Stefan Gössling, a professor at Linnaeus University in Sweden, found just 11% of the world flew in 2018.

Paris-based International Energy Agency is asking policymakers to make the aviation industry pay taxes according to impact, acknowledging only a minor portion of the global population jumps on flights each year. It has also stressed the need to scale up sustainable aviation fuels.