By Ella Nguyen
Private jets, emitting greenhouse gases and consuming substantial amounts of fuel, have a detrimental impact on our environment. Often operating with fewer passengers, private jet flights are more inefficient than commercial flights. According to the Federal Aviation Administration via Simple Flying, private jets emit at least 10 times more pollutants than commercial planes per passenger. While a small few indulge in the convenience of private jet travel, their excessive carbon footprint and environmental impact directly contradict our efforts toward climate justice and environmental restoration.
Nonetheless, proposals to increase space for the use of private jets and expand airports in general persist. Agencies are seeking to expand airports and jet hangers throughout Massachusetts, including Hanscom Field, Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Hyannis, and Plymouth Municipal Airport. When organizing against the expansion of smaller airports in MA, it is also important to make sure the impact doesn’t fall on communities around Logan Airport. Air Inc. has been organizing around quality of life for those adjacent to Logan in East Boston. According to the CommonWealth Beacon, Northeastern professor Daniel Faber asserts that “despite the fact that communities of color comprise only 9 percent of communities in [Massachusetts] they receive over 40 percent of our carcinogens.”
Addressing the environmental justice concerns tied to private jet expansion is not just about mitigating local deforestation and habitat destruction; it is a call to rectify a global imbalance. With private jet use expansion, the number of people who benefit is tiny in comparison to the global consequences of increased jet usage. It prompts us to question the ethics of actions contributing to climate change and consider how these actions disproportionately harm vulnerable communities worldwide. To foster climate justice, we must call out those most responsible for climate change, including speaking out against the expansion of private jet use.
I was inspired to make connections to local context while reading this article from the Sierra Magazine. If you too would like to dive deeper into the pressing issue of private jet expansion, please give it a read. Furthermore, if you want to take action and fight private jet expansion in Hanscom, please sign this petition through the coalition Stop Private Jet Expansion in Hanscom or Anywhere. Lastly, if you are interested in supporting this work by getting your town or city to pass a resolution against the expansion, email muni@stopprivatejetexpansion.org, and you will be given the resources to support you.
Take Action:
Sign the Hanscom petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/spje/
Email muni@stopprivatejetexpansion.org if you are interested in supporting this work by getting your town or city to pass a resolution against the expansion. They have a tool kit that contains sample letters and a sample resolution and we will provide a contact person to support you.
Resources:
https://simpleflying.com/how-bad-are-private-jets-for-the-environment/
https://commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/pollution-inequality-must-stop-enforce-roadmap-law/
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2018/air-pollution-inequality-growing-in-massachusetts/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-private-jets-carbon-emissions-tax/