How does air travel affect greenhouse gas emissions?
Currently, emissions from aviation account for 10% of all UK emissions. The reason scientists are so worried about emissions from flying is that this form of transport is growing very rapidly. It’s become cheaper and cheaper to take flights, both long and short haul, and a growing proportion of people in western countries will take flights at least twice a year. It’s not easy to reduce the amount of fuel that planes use, and alternative fuels are still decades away. If we are going to succeed in reducing carbon emissions, the number of flights per year must be reduced.
Put simply, we must find ways to reduce the amount that we fly. For things like work or training, this means video conferences instead of in person meetings, and individually it means finding alternative travel arrangements, wherever possible.
Find out what you can do here:
