Modi has seventh-largest aviation carbon footprint among world leaders

A single Boeing 737-400 aircraft can emit up to 90kg of CO2 per hour, according to Carbon Independent.org. For long-haul international flights, this can equate to tons of CO2 being emitted.

For world leaders, who fly between global capitals as part of their job, the resultant carbon footprint is a significant sum. A study by Statista compared world leaders based on their flight-based carbon emissions from trips undertaken in 2018, in order to list the top ten world leaders by carbon footprint.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerged seventh on the list, with 7,477 tons of CO2 of aircraft emissions in 2018. According to the prime minister’s website, Modi undertook 14 foreign trips in 2018. His list of destinations included Switzerland, Jordan, Palestine, UAE, Oman, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Nepal, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Nepal, Singapore, Maldives, and Argentina.

Whichever aircraft that PM Modi flies in is dubbed 'Air India One', with the range of craft including a Boeing 747-400, the Embraer-135, and the newer Boeing 777-300ER that was introduced into the fleet in early 2018.

At the top of the list was Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose international trips resulted in 14,442 tons of Co2. Abe is notably well-travelled, visiting 50 countries in his first two years as PM and 135 countries in total by 2017, according to the latest data by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

US President Donald Trump came close after Abe at second place, with 11,487 tons of CO2 emissions from international trips in 2018. South Korea’s Moon Jae-in was just a few dozen tons short at 11,461 tons.

Xi Jinping came in at number four with 8,289 tons of emissions, followed by Emmanual Macrons (7,645 tons) and Vladimir Putin (7,616 tons).

According to Statista, the study accounted for the differences in mode of transport, with smaller planes like the ones used by Spanish Prime Ministers Mariano Rajoy (2011-2018) and Pedro Sanchez (2018-present) emitting less on account of using the smaller Falcon 900 jet. The smaller plane of former British PM Theresa May also helped lower her carbon emissions.

According to the World Bank, per capita CO₂ emissions in India were 1.728 tons in 2014.