Bristol mayor criticised for running up 22,500 air miles in just three months

The mayor of Bristol has been accused of ‘double standards’ on climate change after clocking up 22,500 air miles in three months. 

Marvin Rees, who has recently returned from a trip to the COP28 UN climate-change conference in Dubai, also spoke about how cities can cut emissions during a five-day visit to the US in September.  

He has also visited France and Rwanda since September, in a travel schedule that has involved seven separate flights.    

Councillor Mark Weston, leader of the Conservative group on Bristol City Council, said Rees' actions ‘smack of hypocrisy’.  

Weston told the Mail on Sunday: “He brought in a Clean Air Zone, which hits hard-working Bristolians with fines every time they drive into the city centre, and yet there he is going around the world polluting the atmosphere with never a care in the world.   

“He was elected to be the Mayor of Bristol, not an international representative for whatever ideal he is currently pushing. He should be in Bristol, governing Bristol.” 

Rees flew to the Commonwealth Local Government Conference in Kigali, Rwanda last month when around 400 tenants were evacuated from Barton House due to safety issues.   

Climate campaigners Flight Free UK have calculated that Rees's flights since September have created almost 4.6 tons of carbon dioxide per passenger.

This is almost the entire annual carbon footprint of the average UK resident, which in 2022 stood at five tons.   

Flight Free UK director, Anna Hughes, told the Mail on Sunday: “It's unclear why a local mayor is flying to an international conference such as COP.

“In this time of climate emergency, we should question very carefully whether it's necessary to burn tons of fossil fuels in order to appear in person at events that require a long-haul flight.”

Last month, Rees defended his decision to attend COP28, saying Bristol “is a Premiership city that risks being relegated to League Two” if he didn't attend.

He added: “I just think it's part of the job. But I get it. I get it takes a few steps to be able to understand that.”

BristolWorld has contacted Bristol City Council and the mayor's office for further comment.