Did you know that commercial air travel accounts for almost 3% of the global carbon emissions? While only 5-10% of the world's population flies each year, their carbon footprint exceeds the rest of the population greatly. In 2016, there were an estimated 3.7 billion global air passengers according to the International Civil Aviation Organization. However, by 2035, this number is expected to almost double to 7.2 billion air passengers.
Aviation's estimated CO2 emissions accounts for only part of the damage air travel poses on the environment. Air travel also emits nitrogen oxides, water vapor and particulates. Additionally, contrails and cirrus changes present additional warming effects to the environment. Some estimates place global greenhouse gas emissions of aviation at 5 percent at least.
Stefan Gossling, an co-author of Climate Change and Aviation: Issues, Challenges and Solutions, states, "On an individual level, there is no other human activity that emits as much over such a short period of time as aviation, because it is so energy-intensive".
In order to limit one's greenhouse gas footprint, reevaluating air travel may be necessary. So what can be done? The reduced prices in airplane tickets and industries that promote extra travel poses difficulty to reducing aviation's impact on the climate. Some ways in which to offset carbon emissions are listed in our article "Offsetting Your Carbon Emissions While Flying."
Check out our other blog post for tips on commercial flying titled "Offsetting Your Emissions While Flying"here
And check out this other article for more information!
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