France Implements Ban on Short Domestic Flights to Combat Climate Change

France has passed a law banning some domestic flights and encouraging travelers to take the train instead, with flights that can be replaced by a train journey of under two-and-a-half hours to be scrapped. Critics say the ban will have a negligible effect on carbon emissions, and there are a number of caveats that severely limit its scope. An exception in the ban allows flights with a transfer to continue to operate, and that has led to some convoluted routes that take much longer than a direct flight or a train — and mean even more harmful emissions in takeoff and landing.