Greenpeace, which is campaigning for a reduction in flights, has just unveiled a study sharply criticizing the lack of commitments from major airline groups.
A new report commissioned by Greenpeace from the research institute Observatorio de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa attacks seven major companies, which received public aid during the crisis. These are Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, IAG, Ryanair, EasyJet, SAS and TAP Air Portugal.
According to this vitriolic report, these major groups were responsible for 170 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2019. That’s more than the combined total annual emissions of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
Greenwahing charge
But Greenpeace, which likes to fire red balls on the air, accuses them of a form of inaction. The seven companies “have still not adopted reliable and ambitious objectives” to reduce their GHG emissions, “nor a credible plan aimed at decarbonizing the sector”, assures the NGO. “They still too often prefer to bet on false solutions, such as carbon offsetting or sustainable aviation fuels, rather than finally taking their responsibilities in the face of the ecological crisis. »
Greenpeace accuses them of spending millions of euros on “misleading” communication campaigns. Understand greenwashing.
Salaries: big gaps
The report also looks at social issues. Here too, the airlines are singled out. “They experience high layoff rates and often offer precarious working conditions. »
For example, despite the Covid-19 crisis, the gap between CEO compensation and the average salary has widened for half of the companies analyzed, says the report. Lufthansa holds the sad record: in 2020, the CEO earned 64 times the average salary.
For the record, Greenpeace is campaigning for the banning of flights when a train journey of less than six hours exists.
