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PRIVATE JETS: THE DILEMMA AND THE SOLUTIONS

Elise Leon¹, Diamond Haynes¹, Ethan Leon¹, Isaiah Jamna², Somdat Kissoon³, Andrew Singh⁴, (1) JFKR Aviation and Aeronautics Academy, (2) Sophie Davis CUNY School of Medicine, Manhattan, NY, (3) NYCCT of CUNY & JFKR Aviation and Aeronautics Academy, (4)York College of CUNY, Geology Discipline, Jamaica, NY, & JFKR Aviation and Aeronautics Academy

O’Kane, C. (2024, February 6). Taylor Swift will likely take her private plane from Tokyo to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl. But the jet comes with emissions – and criticism. CBS News . https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taylor-swift-private-jet-tracker-legal-action-plane-from-tokyo-to-las-vegas-for-the-super-bowl-emissions/

Private jets: Can the super-rich supercharge zero-emission aviation?. Transport & Environment. (2022, September 30). https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/private-jets-can-the-super-rich-supercharge-zero-emission-aviation/

Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2024, January 22). CO₂ emissions. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions

Cooper, K. (2024, March 6). How bad are private jet emissions for the environment?. Airport Technology. https://www.airport-technology.com/features/how-bad-are-private-jets-for-the-environment/

Iea. (n.d.). World air passenger traffic evolution, 1980-2020 – charts – Data & Statistics. IEA. https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/world-air-passenger-traffic-evolution-1980-2020

Ritchie, H., Rosado, P., & Roser, M. (2023, December 28). CO₂ and greenhouse gas emissions. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions

References

An enormous thanks to The Port Authority of NY & NJ, A New JFK, York College, Delta, American Airlines, JFK Millennium Partners and The New Terminal JFK International Airport, whose research grants made this project possible.

Acknowledgements

There are many sustainable ways to travel that don’t compromise safety, or add unneeded amounts of CO₂ into the the environment.

Hydrogen powered planes are a great way to fly privately while protecting the environment. Although not fully developed, once ready, they will be the most sustainable means of flying. Another solution would be the usage of electric planes, they have zero-emission tier quietness that reduces noise pollution.

Private jets may be necessary on some occasions, especially for major events. However for most scenarios, it simply just isn’t economical.

Solutions

For many celebrities, and influencers, riding a commercial airplane can be a safety hazard and nuisance. Many public figures want privacy, that cannot be achieved in shared aircrafts. In some cases, it is the most sensible way to travel. What these public figures fail to recognise is the irreversible damage these flights cause to the environment. Flying private planes is not the only way to fly safely and securely.

The Dilemma

Public Figures such as Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Tom Price, Travis Scott, Elon Musk, ect. have added a cumbersome amount of unnecessary pollution into the environment.
In 2022, Taylor Swift flew her jet 170 times, the shortest travel time being a mere 38 minutes (CBS News).
Celebrities un-economically use private jets on small distances that could be achieved in a 2 hour car ride.

Media

Figure 2: Graph of Air Flights from 1980-2020 (IEA Licence CC by 4.0)

Figure 3: Rear view of private jet by string_bass_dave (CC by SA 2.0)

According to the New York Times (2023), “United Nations warns that airplane emissions are set to triple by 2050”
A study conducted by Yim et al (2015), “The diffuse impacts of aviation still contribute 17% of global early deaths.”
The most carbon intensive action a person can make is air travel.

Effects of Aircraft Emissions

Private jets emit over 5 times more pollution per passenger than commercial airplanes.
Just one private jet can release up to 2 tons of carbon dioxide in a single hour.
Private planes carry fewer passengers, which causes more fuel wastage than necessary.
“40% of flights are empty, simply getting the aircraft to the right location” (The Guardian).
Despite the harm these flights cause to our environment, private flights are on the rise and carbon emissions are rising with it.

Background

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what is pm 2.5?

pm2.5 is Particle pollution from fine particulates (PM_2.5) is a concern when levels in air are unhealthy. Breathing in unhealthy levels of PM_2.5 can increase the risk of health problems like heart disease, asthma, and low birth weight. Unhealthy levels can also reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy.

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air pollution. -0_0-

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-024-03110-9

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GSA Abstract updated:

Private Jets: Friend of our Celebrities and Enemy of our Earth

In 2015, total aviation emissions were reported to contribute 17% of early deaths around the world (Yim et al). According to the New York Times (2023), “United Nations warns that airplane emissions are set to triple by 2050.” Private jets emit over 5 to 14 times more pollution per passenger than commercial airplanes (European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), 2021).

Despite the potential harm these flights cause to our environment and health, private flights are on the rise and carbon emissions are rising with it. For famous individuals, riding a commercial airplane can be a great risk and inconvenience to them. Many of them simply want privacy, which cannot be attained in shared aircrafts. In some cases, it is the most sensible way to travel as mentioned by Halkias et al (2024).

Nevertheless, the potential for private jets emissions to damage the environment should not be overlooked. According to the EPA (2020) USA non-military and non-commercial aviation accounts for slightly more than all of the greenhouse gas emissions for all the buses in 2020.

There are many sustainable ways to travel that do not compromise safety, or add unnecessary amounts of CO₂ into the environment such as hydrogen powered or electric planes (Saha et al, 2024).

While private jets may be necessary for some high profile politicians, royal families and celebrities, with new technologies such as supersonic jets and electric aircraft it may not be necessary in the future.

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old Abstract - we need a 1500 characters or less summary

summarize the poster. background hypothesis objectives methods results discussion conclusion limitations future works

Private jets emit over 5 times more pollution per passenger than commercial airplanes. Despite the harm these flights cause to our environment private flights are on the rise and carbon emissions are rising with it. Public figures have added a cumbersome amount of unnecessary pollution into the environment. Celebrities un-economically use private jets on small distances that could be achieved in a 2 hour car ride. For many politicians, celebrities, and influencers, riding a commercial airplane can be a great risk and inconvenience. Many public figures simply want privacy, which cannot be attained in shared aircrafts. For them, it is the most sensible way to travel. Nevertheless these flights cause significant damage to the environment. There are many sustainable ways to travel that don’t compromise safety, or add unnecessary amounts of CO₂ into the the environment, such as hydrogen powered or electric planes. Private jets may be necessary on some occasions, especially for major politicians. However for most scenarios, it simply just isn’t economical.

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Useful tools

Citation Tool

https://www.scribbr.com/citation/generator

Google Mapping Tool:

https://www.google.com/earth/outreach/learn/visualize-your-data-on-a-custom-map-using-google-my-maps/#prerequisites-

Character Counter (for abstract)

https://charactercounttool.com/

Primary source of articles:

https://scholar.google.com/

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Logos

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Previous Work

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WHsl3-YiAZDAzmFT3nEVj6AXIul1Sh_D/edit#slide=id.p1

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Ideas and title:

Example:

Investigating the effects of (private jets) on (pollution) in ()

topic: What better ways for people to fly instead of private jets?~

possible solutions: helicopter, hydrogen or electric aircrafts

regulators should only permit the use of hydrogen or electric aircraft powered with green hydrogen and electricity for private jet flights under 1,000km within Europe. Large private jet companies should be obligated to enter into PPA agreements with e-kerosene suppliers for all flights.

-lowkey everyone should just fly public planes unless its for security purposes.

idea 1:

are private jets emitting

private jets: the polluters of the skies

notes:

emissions-

TAYLOROOOROOROROOROR

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Ideas and title:

Example:

Investigating the effects of (something) on (someone) in (somewhere)

idea 1:

How does variations in space weather might impact aviation?

notes:

communications and navigation systems. Maybe how it impacts the time flights take or the exterior or interior of a plane]

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Section

its not about not using them, its about reducing using them. -

for family trips including kids and staff a private jet would probably make a lot more sense and be safer, and also less of a waste considering the co emission per caput, but that private jet could be a rental

for business solo trips, no one needs to fly with a private jet, yeah sure they are kinda high profile but it's not like you can't bring security on commercial flights and most airports have security protocols fit for people that are much more important, politicians for example.

tbh i think part of the reason they fly private all the time is not security- airports are supposed to be terrorist safe, there are no paparazzi in the transit zone and as i mentioned already you can bring security and wait in private séparées. its probably purely a question of comfort, you oftentimes have a shorter waiting time, and if you're rich enough you can sometimes even skip customs, not to mention there's no risk of fellow passengers witnessing you doing coke or whatever else celebs got going on