Treeconomy’s COP26 blog series: moving towards sustainable air travel and tourism
Air travel is a highly valued service for the tourism, trade, and more, but the industry is currently energy intensive. How can its climate impact be limited?
Company News
Aug 21, 2021
Emily Houston
The number of air passengers rose to 4.5 billion in 2019[1] with air travel responsible for about 2.5% of annual global carbon emissions [2]. This figure is expected to grow to 22% by 2050 if no action is taken[3] reinforcing the fact that aviation is a significant emitter of greenhouse gasses today, and into the future.
As the costs of air travel fall and COVID-19 restrictions are gradually phased out, flight volume is expected to rapidly increase. The aviation sector is on an energy-intensive trajectory as the number of air passengers rises and freight planes increase. In light of this, it is important to raise awareness of the options available to consumers to mitigate their carbon footprint when traveling by air, particularly via high-quality carbon offsetting. Although awareness of climate change is rising, a recent study suggests that few people are willing or able to reduce their air consumption [4]. Similarly, demand for air transport freight is increasing, as trade becomes increasingly globalised. Therefore, smart policies are needed to curb the carbon footprint of air travel.
Air travel is a highly valued service for many people, and pivotal for sectors such as tourism, trade, and business. Improvements to the energy efficiency of aircraft engines have reduced the carbon emission of aircrafts by 50% per passenger since 1990, as each generation of aircraft is made 15-20% more energy efficient than the previous version[5]. Although technological advancements have improved the efficiency of aircraft engines and therefore reduced fossil fuel consumption per mile flown, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise from the sector as a whole due to the increase in flight volumes.
Moreover, the hope of new hydrogen-powered aircrafts - a technology that would massively reduce emissions - will not produce the emissions reductions required in the short term. For example, Airbus has stated that it plans to have hydrogen-powered aircrafts available for short-haul flights by 2035. Meanwhile, Boeing has suggested that they will have aircraft powered entirely by biofuels available by 2030 [6].
It suggests that net-zero or near-zero air travel may be possible, but not for another decade. In the meantime, harmful greenhouse gasses will be released in increasing quantities.
While there has been progress in improving the energy efficiency of aircraft engines, these improvements will not be able to mitigate all greenhouse gas emissions from air travel alone.[7] Therefore, high-quality carbon offsetting appears to be the only option for negating emissions in the short term for the aviation industry.[8]
Of course, there is no ‘silver bullet’ that offers a net-zero emissions pathway. Smart policies can help to support consumer decision-making. For example, the French national assembly voted in favour of banning short-haul flights that lasted under two-and-half hours and where rail travel was possible instead[9]. Raising awareness to change consumer patterns and implementing policies that reduce overall greenhouse gases emissions are fundamental for decarbonisation.
To mitigate the impact of greenhouse emissions in the meantime, nature-based solutions are an essential means to reduce the concentrations of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.
Monitoring needs to go beyond the current certification schemes and become far more rigorous to ensure that nature-based solutions such as forest creation actually facilitate carbon removal. Poorly designed carbon offsetting schemes have rightly been criticized for producing leakage (increasing offshore emissions), double counting, and not accurately accounting for additionality (ensuring an accurate deviation from a business-as-usual scenario). When accurately monitored and certified, carbon offset schemes don’t just support the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystems[10] but can form a crucial tool in the decarbonisation of emitting industries such as aviation.
To keep up to date with further announcements at Treeconomy HQ and how the initiatives are doing, make sure you follow us on our social media channels.
References:
[1] Gariboldi, M. (2020) Reinventing Air Travel. Available at: https://www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/research-event/reinventing-air-travel (Accessed: 01 August 2021).
[2] Árnadóttir, Á. (2021) ‘Climate change concern and the desire to travel: How do I justify my flights?’, Travel Behaviour and Society, 24, pp. 282-290. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2021.05.002.
[3] Aviation and shipping - impacts on Europe's environment
European Environment Agency (EEA): Copenhagen (2017), p. 70
[4] Árnadóttir, Á. (2021) ‘Climate change concern and the desire to travel: How do I justify my flights?’, Travel Behaviour and Society, 24, pp. 282-290. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2021.05.002.
[5] The Economist (2021) ‘How today’s reviled airlines could become greener
The pandemic has drawn attention to the environmental damage caused by air travel’.
[6] The Economist (2021) ‘How today’s reviled airlines could become greener
The pandemic has drawn attention to the environmental damage caused by air travel’.
[7] Aviation and shipping - impacts on Europe's environment
European Environment Agency (EEA): Copenhagen (2017), p. 70
[8] Árnadóttir, Á. (2021) ‘Climate change concern and the desire to travel: How do I justify my flights?’, Travel Behaviour and Society, 24, pp. 282-290. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2021.05.002.
[9] BBC (2021) France moves to ban short-haul domestic flights. (Available: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56716708). Accessed: 03 August 2021.
[10] UNEP (2019) Carbon offsets are not our get-out-of-jail free card. Available at: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/carbon-offsets-are-not-our-get-out-jail-free-card (Accessed: 29 July 2021).