German foreign minister to use scheduled flights to lower emissions

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Green Party) wants to use regular scheduled flights more frequently rather than government planes for trips abroad. The aim of the measure is to "keep the CO₂ emissions as low as possible," said a spokesperson from the foreign office. Not all of Baerbock’s flights will be commercial because some might not be feasible in terms of time and logistics, but the spokesperson said the minister’s team will make sure scheduled flights are used as often as possible. For the first time, Baerbock and her delegation travelled by scheduled flight for their inaugural visit to Madrid, TV station RTL reported. The minister and other members of the federal government have a number of military aircraft at their disposal for official trips and the government routinely compensates CO2 flight emissions.

Air travel on short distances has come under intense scrutiny in Germany in recent years, with surveys finding seventy percent of respondents would support a ban on short haul flights in order to better protect the climate. Minister Baerbock aims to strengthen its climate foreign policy by implementing carbon emission cuts across the administration. Baerbock appointed of head of Greenpeace International Jennifer Morgan as special envoy and to be the new “face of Germany’s international climate policy”. Baerbock said her plan is to expand partnerships with other countries and lead dialogue with civil society worldwide.