Dogs are as bad for the planet as my luxury jets, says airline boss

The environmental paw print of pets can be sky high – mainly because of their meat diet, he claims

PET DOGS are bad for the environment, a luxury airline boss has suggested.

In a defence of his own industry, Patrick Hansen, chief executive of Luxaviation, claimed the animals were as polluting as private jets.

Speaking at a Financial Times summit in Monaco, Mr Hansen claimed one of his customers’ jets emitted 2.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, roughly the same as the emissions of three pet dogs.

Mr Hansen was referring to estimates by Mike Berners-lee, a carbon footprint consultant and writer, who has said that a labrador has an annual carbon footprint of around 770kg.

The greatest impact is from dogs’ diets. The meat, which makes up most dog foods, emits greenhouse gases via deforestation and methane emissions.

A big dog, such as a Great Dane, could emit 2,500kg of carbon dioxide a year.

A study last year about the environmental impact of diets for dogs and cats suggested that wet pet food has eight times more emissions than dry food, because it has higher meat content.

Some green groups recommend vegan food for cats and dogs, although there are no conclusive studies on whether animals can stay healthy on a plant-based diet.

Mr Berners-lee said the figure of 2.1 tonnes of CO2 seemed “suspiciously” low, and was likely only accounting for short flights taken in small planes.

A private jet can emit 2 tonnes of CO2 in an hour, according to estimates from Transport and Environment. A study from the group in 2021 found private jets were 5 to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes per passenger.

Rishi Sunak is among several public figures to have faced criticism over their use of private planes. The Prime Minister took £500,000 worth of private jet trips in less than a fortnight earlier this year.

Mr Hansen told the FT summit that private-jet use was “not going away.

He added that the industry was aware of criticism and working to reduce its emissions impact, although the scarcity of sustainable aviation fuels meant they were not a practical solution.

The UK’S climate change citizens assembly called for a ban on private jets and a frequent flyer levy in 2020.

Luxaviation did not immediately respond to questions about the distance or number of journeys travelled by the customer used in Mr Hansen’s example.

The great and the good who flock by private jet to climate summits always seem to have an answer to accusations of eco hypocrisy. Perhaps they have planted a forest. Perhaps they have paid reparations to Tuvalu. Now they have a new excuse: Patrick Hansen, boss of an executive jet operator, has suggested that the real climate villains are dog lovers. The annual carbon footprint of a Labrador is reported to be around 770 kilogrammes. Mr Hansen claims that his regular clients’ jet emissions can be as low as 2.1 tonnes of CO2, or three Labradors’ worth. The comparison may be illuminating, but the hideous implications of dragging the family pet into this row are worthy of Jonathan Swift. Rather than encourage green campaigners to dream up some sort of canine offset scheme, far better to let sleeping dogs lie.