France, 80-Nation Coalition Advances Luxury Air Travel Tax for Climate Aid

France, Kenya, Barbados, and Spain have launched a coalition to tax luxury air travel, including business-class tickets and private jets, to fund climate adaptation and sustainable development in poorer nations most affected by global warming. The initiative, announced at a UN development summit in Seville, aims to raise billions by targeting the aviation sector, which is a significant contributor to carbon emissions and has historically been undertaxed. Supported by additional countries such as Somalia, Benin, Sierra Leone, and Antigua and Barbuda, the coalition seeks to promote progressive and harmonized tax systems under the 'Sevilla Platform for Action,' with technical assistance from the European Commission. Environmental groups like Greenpeace have praised the move as a vital step toward making high-polluting travelers pay their fair share and have called for similar accountability in other sectors like oil and gas. The coalition intends to use the proceeds to support climate resilience investments and help vulnerable countries increase domestic revenue for development. This approach addresses the imbalance where those least responsible for climate change suffer its worst effects, while wealthier nations and sectors historically evade adequate taxation.