From Switzerland, trains are 70% more expensive than planes
Based on its report, Greenpeace is calling for a Europe-wide kerosene tax of 50 cents per liter, which would generate annual revenues of 46.2 billion euros. In addition, the VAT exemption for flights within the European Union should be abolished, bringing in 10 billion euros. These funds should be allocated to rail infrastructure. More and more people want to travel by train and forgo flights, but the absence of a kerosene tax and other climate-damaging subsidies for the airline industry distort prices, according to the organization.
Greenpeace demands that rail and air travel be put on an equal footing at international level, for the sake of climate protection. According to Greepeace, greenhouse gas emissions from air traffic rose by 29% in the European Union between 2009 and 2019.
Read the account of a journalist from Vert magazine who returned to Europe without taking a plane after a long trip to South America. He “co-boated” aboard two yachts: from the West Indies to Gibraltar via the Azores, his transatlantic voyage lasted 22 days.
