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France banned domestic short-haul flights this week because the government wants to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, CNBC reported.

The new law – published via decree – will prohibit short flights between French destinations when a train journey of fewer than 2.5 hours “provides a satisfactory alternative service.”

The regulation will not impact connecting flights.

Lawmakers and government officials hailed the legislation as “a global first that is fully in line with the government’s policy of encouraging the use of modes of transportation that emit fewer greenhouse gases.”

But critics described the changes as “symbolic bans,” with airline lobby groups countering that “banning these trips will only have minimal effects” on carbon dioxide emissions, according to the BBC.

Still, the World Wildlife Fund warned that the environmental footprint of aviation is “one of the fastest-growing sources of the greenhouse gas emissions driving global climate change.”

Meanwhile, the recent French ban has prompted questions about the use of private jets, which are mainly used by wealthy people.

In March, Greenpeace published an analysis showing that the number of private jet flights in Europe reached a record high of nearly 573,000 last year compared with 2021, indicating a significant increase of 64 percent.