Hypocrisy: World leaders used 118 private jets, produced 1,400 tonnes of CO2 to reach climate summit

When the COP26 climate conference opened on November 1, 50 private jets landed at Glasgow and Edinburgh airports to transport the leaders to one of history's most important environmental summits.

According to the data compiled by WingX, 118 different business jets landed at airports in Glasgow, Scotland. Overall, incoming private jets at Glasgow and Edinburgh airports rose 525% on the summit's opening day compared to the last seven days.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prince Charles are some famous individuals who flew back to have dinner on Wednesday morning, while the others departed for Cannes in the south of France, and Bern in Switzerland, following a flight pursued by FlightRadar24.

Private jets are, by far, the most inefficient and most fuel-consuming way to commute. Many have pointed to the hypocrisy of reaching a summit on climate change that contributes to its entire cause.

Travelling on a private jet between Glasgow and Rome, where many leaders had previously participated in the G20 summit, emits about six tonnes of CO2 per flight. However, the emissions can vary from the size and capacity of jets.

If all 118 private jets at COP26 flew around three hours to reach the event, that would put the combined carbon of the 118 private jets at over 1,400 tons.

"Our research has found that most trips can be easily completed on normal scheduled commercial flights. Private jets are very prestigious but it is hard to avoid the hypocrisy of using one while pretending to combat climate change," said Matt Finch, UK Politician Manager at the Transport and Environment Campaign Group.

However, not all private jets are so polluted. Prince Charles only agreed to fly a private jet between Rome and Glasgow when it was agreed to use sustainable fuel on the plane.

Boris Johnson's spokesperson person said his private jet to London operated on "partly sustainable fuel".

As per studies, private jets cannot burn 100% of sustainable fuels that are normally generated from biofuels. Only Boom Supersonic and Rolls Royce create jet engines that burn 100% sustainable fuels.

The high visibility of private jets at the COP26 summit has created many contradictory headlines for the industry, says Richard Koe, Managing Director of WingX. "The [commercial airline industry] will be nervous about any repeat of the decade-long toxic optics that apparently haunted Obama's critique of car drivers' use of private jets in 2008."