The New York TimesThe New York Times

Vaunted French ban on short domestic flights is a pale shade of green

By Aurelien Breeden

24 May 2023 · 3 min read

Editor's Note

Emmanuel Macron heralded a ban on short flights within France with a celebratory tweet this week, the NYT reports. But the measure is riddled with caveats and critics claim it will have little effect.

PARIS — When the French government officially enacted a ban on short domestic flights this week, it hailed the measure as proof that France was at the vanguard of ambitious climate change policies. But critics say it’s much ado about almost nothing.

“We are the first to do it,” President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a celebratory message on Twitter, which also included a picture that said “Promise Kept” stamped in green ink.

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