Video of record-breaking private jet powered by Rolls-Royce engines sparks outrage: 'More toys for rich toddlers'
The private jet is "powered by Rolls-Royce engines and featuring a sleek aerodynamic design" set to rival the fastest private jets, as the OP wrote in the caption.
"More toys for rich toddlers," wrote one Redditor, who received dozens of upvotes. "How about using tech to improve air travel for [most] of the world's population?"
World's first private jet that, can fly 9,000 miles at 717 mph top speed, to launch across US and Europe after breaking records byu/Zee2A inSTEW_ScTecEngWorld
Indeed, the planet-harming pollution of the richest people in the world far exceeds the polluting impacts of many. It has been estimated that a private jet from London to Paris can produce six times more pollution per passenger than a commercial flight on the same route. Private jets specifically produce some 5 to 14 times more pollution per passenger than commercial flights, according to DriveElectric.
Other factors, like water vapor trails, contribute to climate warming. Yet, the "global working class" has the lowest pollution and faces the worst of the climate crisis, as Oxfam explained. For some of the bottom 99% to produce as much pollution as those who frequently travel with private jets, it would take 1,500 years — highlighting the massive difference in planet-harming pollution that comes from the rich.
These shocking figures are why organizations like Oxfam are urging for higher taxes on the polluting behavior of those who use private jets.
Currently, most are taxed for commercial flights with the Air Passenger Duty Tax. However, this tax is placed disproportionately, as "someone flying on a commercial airline usually pays a far greater amount in tax as a portion of their ticket than a billionaire jet-setting on a private plane," explained Oxfam. Some smaller private aircraft are not even required to pay a higher rate or are exempted from the tax entirely.
"I'll never be able to fly in this, and honestly, I have zero aspirations to do so," one Redditor wrote.
Another wrote, "Oh cool, more technology that has no impact on anyone but the richest in the world."
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