Elected official to propose CO2 emissions quota for each Swiss citizen
Published
Christophe Clivaz will submit two bills aimed at limiting the climate impact of aviation by targeting the biggest consumers and sparing the middle class.
Taxing all plane tickets is a controversial issue in Switzerland , so we'll have to find something else. National Councilor Christophe Clivaz (Greens/VS) announced on his website on Monday that he would submit two proposals during the next parliamentary session with two new ideas - at least for Switzerland (see box). The first is to say that, since taxing all flights is unfair, it's better to tax only those who fly frequently. The second is to study the possibility of creating a "carbon card" that would distribute emission quotas to each inhabitant.
"With 1.6 flights per person per year, the Swiss population flies two to three times more than our neighbors . And yet, this behavior remains a global exception: 80% of humanity has never flown and barely 2% to 4% have taken an international flight. Even more striking: 1% of passengers are responsible for half of aviation emissions," notes the elected official.
His proposal for a frequent flyer tax (TGVA) "targets the wealthiest travelers, rather than penalizing all passengers. This mechanism ensures that low-income people are not excluded from air travel due to climate policies," he argues.
As for the idea of a "carbon card," it is still in its infancy. "It would assign each person an emissions quota for air traffic, corresponding to a climate budget distributed fairly among all residents," explains the Valais resident. The text will ask the Federal Council to explore avenues for its introduction. How many flights? Will someone who hasn't used their credits be able to resell them to someone who needs them if theirs are exhausted? All of that remains to be defined.
Two years ago, French engineer Jean-Marc Jancovici floated the idea of flight quotas per capita. His verdict: a limit of four flights per French person... for a lifetime. "Those for whom this seems inconceivable and restrictive should realize that this is something extremely recent and that it will disappear with the oil. Once there is no more oil, there will not be enough to ensure four flights in a lifetime per person," he said. Many voices opposed the idea. As for the frequent flyer tax, it is being pushed by environmentalists and NGOs at the European level.
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