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re: Boris SLEAZE:He Rambles-Compares Himself to Moses & Praises Peppa Pig in Bizarre
Boris Johnson Pumps Out 21 Tons of CO2 in Flurry of Trips in Tycoon's Private Jet
The Prime Minister's green credentials went up in smoke as he gained an election advantage by travelling 1,200 miles aboard a private Gulfstream jet owned by JCB magnate Lord Bamford
BBC News 24 Oct 2021
Boris Johnson also borrowed Lord Bamford's helicopter
Blustering Boris Johnson’s green “credentials” went up in smoke as he made a flurry of trips on a tycoon’s gas-guzzling plane and helicopter.
The polluting PM pumped 21 tons of CO2 into the air in just two weeks with jaunts on a £47million Gulfstream jet owned by JCB digger magnate Lord Bamford.
The Sunday Mirror can reveal Boris travelled more than 1,200 miles by jet for campaign visits in the fortnight before May’s local elections.
And it’s understood the PM made at least two more journeys in Lord Bamford’s helicopter.
Using the train would have caused a fraction of the damage to the environment. And it would have taken a typical petrol-driven car ONE YEAR to emit the carbon dioxide spewed out by the Gulfstream in just ONE HOUR.
The revelations come on the eve of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow – and after Boris himself accused other leaders of “hot air” over green issues.
Greenpeace’s chief scientist Dr Doug Parr stormed: “Prime Ministerial actions have consequences far beyond those of any Hollywood star or royal, and Prime Ministerial hypocrisy is deeply corrosive of public trust.”
Matthew Lawrence, of campaign group Common Wealth, added: “The PM’s words yet again don’t match reality.”
The flights on the Gulfstream G650 would have released an estimated 21.2 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, about a third of what the average person creates in a year.
The PM would have to plant around 130 trees to offset the greenhouse gases emitted during the jet journeys alone.
Making the same journeys by rail would have released just 0.1 tons of CO2 per passenger.
On polling day, May 6, the PM appeared virtually at Germany’s Petersberg Climate Dialogue, urging world leaders to come up with more than “hot air” at next week’s COP26 conference.
He said: “I’ll be seeking commitments from the G7 members to use their voices and their votes, wherever and whenever possible to support the transition to net zero (carbon emissions), kickstart a green industrial revolution, and build economies that withstand whatever our changing climate throws at us.”
The following day he made two journeys on private aircraft, first on the helicopter to open an academy school in Coventry, then on the private jet to the North East to celebrate his party’s victory in the Hartlepool by-election – releasing around 13,000lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The Common Wealth think tank has called for a ban on fossil fuel-powered private jets by 2025 – arguing the climate crisis is driven by the wealthiest in society, and has consequences for the most vulnerable.
Director Mathew Lawrence said: “Promising a green revolution then jetting off in a Tory donor’s fossil fuel guzzling plane might be hypocritical, but it is not how we tackle the climate emergency.
“To ‘level up’ and reach net-zero we need to ground the private jets and get on with building a clean, affordable transport future that works for everyone.”
According to charter flight operator Paramount Business Jets, the Gulfstream G650 emits around 10,614lbs or 4.7 imperial tons of CO2 per hour of flight.
It’s not possible to accurately estimate the emissions of Mr Johnson’s helicopter trips, due to incomplete flight data. But similar helicopters emit up to half a ton of CO2 for every hour they’re in the air.
Lord Bamford’s jet was purchased from Gulfstream in 2014 and was delivered to its base in East Midlands Airport.
The PM’s flights were declared as donations in kind to the Conservative Party, at an estimated cost of £40,254.71.
Gulfstream G650 fact file
Cost: £47.2 million ($65m)
Maximum passengers: 15
Range: 11,263km (6998 miles)
Emissions: 10,614 lbs (4.7 imperial ton) per hour of flight time
Luxury interior: Meeting space, sofas, reclining armchairs, a 42-inch flat screen TV, in-flight WiFi, a kitchen including microwave and oven, fridge freezer and an espresso machine.
Also owned (or formerly owned) by: Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, James Dyson, David Geffen, Ralph Lauren,
Mr Johnson posed for photographs with Lord Bamford, 76, last week to promote his firm’s new eco-friendly hydrogen-powered digger.
News of the PM’s carbon footprint comes as up to 300,000 ordinary motorists are set to be hit with a £12.50 a day charge to drive in London’s newly-expanded Ultra Low Emission zone.
And the flights storm could embarrass the PM’s wife Carrie, an ardent environmental champion. She was not on board.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “It has long been the case that party leaders make visits across the country during election campaigns, using a wide variety of transport.
“Such visits are an important part of the democratic process, so politicians, including Prime Ministers, can visit as many places as possible, within time constraints.
“As part of the Government’s levelling up agenda, it is entirely right that ministers meet and listen to people in every part of the United Kingdom.
“Under this government, we’ve reduced carbon emissions faster than any other G7 country, are producing a record amount of electricity from renewable sources and are a world-leader in offshore wind.”
Next week, Mr Johnson and other world leaders are set to travel to COP26 on so-called “green flights” using sustainable fuel produced from food waste.
But Greenpeace branded the move “greenwashing”.
Research commissioned by the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy was pulled from the Government’s website last Wednesday, shortly after it was published.
The document recommended the Government make strong “interventions” to tackle aviation emissions and reduce demand among frequent business flyers.
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