The government wants to ban domestic flights only if an alternative by train in less than 2.5 hours exists.

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JEANNE ACCORSINI / SIPA

Strike harder to stem climate change.

The NGO Greenpeace asks the government to prevent the resumption of domestic flights, deeming projects in this area too timid in the face of the challenges and expectations of citizens.

As part of the bill resulting from the work of the Citizen's Convention for the Climate (CCC), the executive wants to ban domestic flights if there is a possible alternative by train in less than 2:30, excluding flights in correspondence.

The CCC calls for the end of air traffic on domestic flights by 2025, for lines "where there is a low carbon alternative satisfactory in price and time (on a journey of less than 4 hours)".

But "according to an analysis by Climate Action Network, the government's measure would only concern five lines out of the hundred or so existing internal connections", with a reduction of "6.6% in CO2 emissions from metropolitan flights", recalls Greenpeace.

Three connections excluded

Removing lines of less than 5 hours by train would reduce CO2 emissions from metropolitan flights by 60.6%, according to the RAC, a federation of climate associations.

The government proposal would exclude "the three most emitting connections in 2019 (Paris-Nice, Paris-Toulouse, Paris-Marseille)", continues Greenpeace.

For these journeys, the plane emits 39 to 53 times more CO2 per passenger than the train, according to data compiled by the NGO SNCF and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for the plane.

Relaunch of rail

"To preserve the air lobby, the Minister of Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari refuses to really tackle the real problem: air traffic must be reduced, by protecting, supporting and associating the workers affected", asks Sarah Fayolle, Transport campaigner at Greenpeace, quoted in the press release.

"For the closure of internal air connections to work, it must go hand in hand with a revival of the railway worthy of the name", continues the NGO.

Greenpeace also criticizes the promotion of the hydrogen plane as a solution to decarbonise the aviation sector when it "will not, at best, be put into service before 2035".

The NGO also pleads for the reduction of international traffic and opposes airport extension projects.

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