Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen are being criticized for traveling by private jet – and even during the COP26 Climate Summit …
Is it justified for top politicians to use private jets to meet their obligations? In fact, when they declare abstinence from environmentally harmful behaviors and claim a pioneering role in climate protection? The role of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who does not miss the opportunity to recall Europe’s ambitious climate goals, but also the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who, as host of the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow, participates that “the time has come for the truth about the environment”.
However, according to revelations from international media, both of them did not even wait for the end of the meeting, before … they burden the environment by moving with a private aircraft. The head of the Commission flew by private plane from Vienna to Bratislava, traveling a distance of much less than a hundred kilometers. The British Prime Minister, after completing the sermon on environmental protection to the participants of COP 26 on Tuesday, boarded a chartered jet to have dinner with friends at a private gentlemen’s club in London. The revelation was made by the Daily Mirror. Among the prime minister’s aides was former Daily Telegraph editor-in-chief Charles Moore, one of the most prominent “negatives” to scientific predictions about climate change.
“Hypocrisy” or necessary evil?
The reactions did not take long to manifest. Labor MP Anneliese Dodd spoke to the Mirror about the “bottomless hypocrisy of the prime minister”. As for the 20-minute flight of Ursula von der Leyen, it was nothing but an “ecological sin”, says the president of the German Taxpayers’ Association, Michael Geger, speaking to the newspaper Bild. “When you demand a change in behavior from others, you should set a good example yourself, because otherwise you lose your credibility,” said Christian Democrat (CDU) MP Jana Sminke.
Can you impose restrictions on air travel for ordinary citizens for reasons of environmental protection, when you yourself do not comply with these restrictions? Is the schedule of a top politician so full that sometimes there is no other option for his travels than the use of a private jet? However, a representative of the Commission claims this, trying to calm down the protests. According to him, Ms. von der Leyen’s private jet did not have a final destination in Bratislava, but, after a short stay in the Slovak capital, would continue its journey to Latvia. In total, travel to seven different countries (including departure and return to Belgium) had to be covered within two days. If the president of the Commission did not use a private jet on these trips, the spokesman says, she would miss the opportunity for important contacts with European leaders. In addition, the presence of Mrs von der Leyen in all Member States is considered particularly important in times of pandemic, the spokesman said.
“Words are different, deeds are different …”
The explanations do not convince the Left Party (Die Linke) MEP Martin Sirdevan. He told the German News Agency (DPA) that “in the case of Mrs von der Layen the acts always spoke a different language from the theory”. European policy is beginning to lose its credibility with the people, warns the co-chair of the European Left.
Ansgar Haaze, Christoph Mager Edited by: Giannis Papadimitriou
Source: Deutsche Welle
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Source From: Capital
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