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Travel has come a long way. The first commercial flight was on New Year’s Day in 1914 in Florida. At the time it was one of mankind’s greatest feats of engineering. But, few people were thinking about air pollution and climate change at the time. More than one-hundred years later and the industry has caught wind of its environmental impact. Airlines are buzzing with terms like ‘eco travel’ and ‘sustainability’ and more flyers are considering ways to reduce their impact while traveling.
As conscious consumers it always pays to know exactly the steps companies are taking to be sustainable. When it comes to flying there are a few ways that airlines are reducing their impact like choosing better fuel options or reducing plastic waste. So, if you’re planning a trip anytime soon, knowing a few of these facts will help you choose the best eco-friendly option ahead of your trip.
What Are Airlines Carbon Footprints?
An estimated 2-3% of the world’s CO2 emissions comes from airline travel. While the percentage is small, the amount – 915 million tons of CO2 – is making quite an impact. And, that impact is expected to triple by 2050 according to the United Nations. Unless those numbers change, that small percentage of CO2 emissions and its growth rate could contribute to temperatures rising by 1.5 degrees Celsius.
So, what is your environmental footprint when you fly on an airplane? It’s estimated that a roundtrip flight from San Francisco to London emits 5.5 tons of CO2 per person. For frequent flyers that can be the biggest chunk of your carbon footprint. Even domestic flights in the U.S emit more CO2 emissions than a medium-sized car.
What’s Being Done To Make Airlines Sustainable?
The United Nations agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), is working with voluntary airlines to reduce CO2 emissions. While the sole goal of the organization isn’t centered around environmental concerns, recent years have seen carbon offset programs and other ideas circulating about how air travel can reduce its carbon footprint. To date 81 nations have signed a pact to reduce CO2 emissions by 2035. That could see a reduction of 2.5 billion tons of CO2 over the course of 15 years.
Green Fuel
One idea stated in the pact is to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and to increase the production of clean energy sources that are sourced from waste oils, feedstock and corn grain. Dubbed SAF, sustainable aviation fuels have powered 150,000 flights since 2011. The biggest benefit from using these fuels is that they can drastically reduce CO2 emissions when compared with conventional fossil fuels. The total lifecycle of SAF can reduce CO2 emissions up to 80%. There is also evidence that biomass crops like corn and sourcing fuel from waste sources like manure can deliver economic benefits to farmers, reduce pollution and pressure on watersheds and keep methane out of the atmosphere.
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Tax Credit
The Biden administration proposed a Sustainable Aviation Tax Credit as an incentive to increase the production of SAF. The credit offers funding opportuntities to support green fuel products, clean air programs around airports and impovements to aircraft fuel effciency. These efforts are centered around the goal of driving the market for cleaner fuels and transforming the aviation industry as a whole to be zero-carbon.
Offsets
Since SAF is only contributed to reducing emissions by 80%, other initiatives to further reduce emissions include offset programs. These resources use calculations to determine a company’s CO2 emissions and then implement actions such as using green fuel, planting trees or donating a portion of revenue to environmental nonprofits to reduce or ‘offset’ their total emissions. Sometimes, flyers can partake in these programs as well by donating to environmentally-focused nonprofits at the time that they purchase their tickets.
How Can We Travel Better?
There are a few ways that we can embrace eco travel. There are alternatives to flying that emit fewer CO2 emissions. For those situations where flying is a must, there are platforms that grade airlines based on their CO2 efficiency. As conscious consumers it’s all about educating ourselves to make the better choice.
One of the best options for transportation is to take the train. Traveling by train can reduce your carbon emissions by nearly 50% when compared with flying. There are high speed rail lines that connect countries in regions like Europe and parts of the U.S, mostly along the East Coast. However, trains often require more vacation time and rail lines aren’t easily accessible in every area. So, more often than not, flying is the best economical choice.
When flying look for airlines that advertise their use of SAF. British Airways and Lufthansa are two that have announced their use of sustainable fuels to reduce their CO2 emissions. Other airlines have adopted a carbon offset program that focuses on planting trees to reduce CO2 emissions. Other airlines focus on reducing their waste. American Airlines encourages eco travel through paperless tickets and eliminating single use plastic.
Other small steps you can take to fly better is to choose a direct flight to reduce your CO2 emissions. And, choosing a vegan meal on a flight can further reduce your CO2 emissions. And, to help airlines reduce plastic and paper waste, carry a reusable water bottle and coffee cup that you can fill on the airplane.