The ecological emergency requires everyone’s efforts and exemplary behavior for more sobriety. A climate in which, inevitably, the excessive recourse of the richest to their jets is less and less well perceived, and generates indignation on the networks.
A few days ago, there were hundreds of thousands watching, online and live, the trajectory of Nancy Pelosi’s plane towards Taiwan, anticipating the imminence of a new diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Washington. Others use these same perfectly legal public tools to ensure that the plane they are about to take is indeed approaching. But increasingly, flight tracking is used on social networks to target the practices of certain leaders, personalities and other billionaires who use and abuse air travel, at a time when the multiplication of environmental disasters makes the climate challenge more tangible than ever.
In France, we obviously think of I Fly Bernard, a twitter account to the nearly 40,000 subscribers who have fun, not without sarcasm, following the planes of billionaire Bernard Arnault, CEO of the LVMH group, second in the Forbes 2021 ranking of the richest people in the world (in addition to those of François Pinault or even Martin Bouygues). There is a monthly report of its CO emissions.2. The report is without appeal: 520 tons in July, that is to say the equivalent of those of an average French in… 52 years.
It’s time for the balance sheet for the month of July 2022 (6 planes tracked):
– number of flights: 53 ✈️
– 123 flight hours ⏱️
– shortest flight: 20min ?
– CO2 emitted: 520 tons ???
This is the equivalent of the emissions of an average Frenchman for 52 years, 1/2 century!
[1/7] pic.twitter.com/FAhm1DrOCy— I Fly Bernard (@i_fly_Bernard) August 1, 2022
In its report, the Twitter account provides an interesting clarification: the boss of LVMH and his family have in recent weeks used much more rental jets. Why ? Because the tracking of his private jet by another similar account, “laviondebernard” had created the (bad) buzz in May, generating as much public indignation as bad publicity for the Arnault family. This month, his jet had made 18 flights for 176 tons of CO2 issued, some of which lasted only a few tens of minutes. But after several weeks in the hangar, it seems that the famous jet is back.
ADS-B and Flightradar24: two platforms, thousands of public data
At the international level, it is Dan Streufert, the American who created the ADS-B Exchange site, which makes the powerful of this world addicted to the plane shudder. Many are those who try to ban the publication of their flights by this site, in vain. Dan Streufert indicates that he has never received any instructions from the courts asking him to erase any data, and adds that he does not want to take sides for or against the systematic and very frequent use of the plane. Its mantra: to provide a simple and perfectly legal tool for tracking aircraft. And that’s all.
Because these geolocation data are public and must be transmitted in most air zones. This allows international platforms such as Flightradar24 to know the position of a large number of planes in the world, thanks to thousands of sensors on the ground and data transmitted by planes and companies, information which can be cross-checked with the schedules of the flights.
Elon Musk tried direct negotiation at 5000 dollars
And it’s not just Bernard Arnault that bothers. More and more wealthy executives, celebrities and billionaires would like to ban the practice, which allows climate activists to publicize their aeronautical activity on the Web, prompting appalled comments from crowds. And all the more so since this summer, the planet is burning before our eyes, between repeated heat waves and threats of water cuts. And although the task of identifying who owns which aircraft remains complex, research by those who are passionate about this discipline is progressing, and more and more known names are circulating.
Among these identified aircraft owners, Elon Musk is in the sights of Jack Sweeney who, at the age of 19, created the account Celebrity Jets. Uncomfortable with the idea that his movements are thus spied on by everyone on the Internet, the boss of Tesla tried to find an amicable agreement with the young American, offering him 5000 dollars so that he closes the twitter account Elon Jet. A wad of greenbacks refused by Jack Sweeney, who says he wants to continue his momentum given the “the very strong interest of people, outraged by these almost daily trips and their carbon footprint”. He also cites the misunderstanding caused by Kylie Jenner’s 17-minute flight to California or the habits of Taylor Swift, which have generated thousands of reactions on social networks. Former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather and rapper Drake have, meanwhile, been “pinned” for 10- and 18-minute robberies.
@BrunoLeMaire the government advocates energy sobriety for the French, Macron and Darmanin each used a typical Republic aircraft #Falcon to get to #Gironde… That’s 100 times the daily carbon footprint of a French person! pic.twitter.com/EPyqBAq7OC
— riri (@GoudeHenri) August 1, 2022
In France, on July 20, it was the two Falcons of Gérald Darmanin and Emmanuel Macron, taken the same day to visit the firefighters fighting the super-fire in Gironde, which hit the headlines. Without forgetting, in another register, the very bad reception given on social networks to the bling-bling and strongly “carbonated” holiday film of the striker of the French team Karim Benzema.
A “spying” little appreciated by China
Of course, these increasingly popular sites and accounts generate revenues that, to date, remain difficult to assess. As indicated 20 minutes (with AFP), Flightradar24 does not publish its turnover, Jack Sweeney explains that his accounts allowed him to earn a few hundred dollars, while Dan Streufert admits to living from his site.
To date, those who fight most effectively against the collection and publication of this data seem to be the authoritarian regimes which, seeing it as a tool of espionage, do not hesitate to ban or even remove the sensors. In China, for example, hundreds of these sensors were reportedly seized last year on this ground, disrupting flight tracking in certain geographical areas. Among celebrities and billionaires, it is the risk that the publication of this data, qualified as personal, would pose to their security, which is brandished in an attempt to have these numerous call accounts banned.shaming“, a form of online harassment that consists of pointing the finger at shameful practices. Without success so far.