How can we reduce air travel emissions?

Flying accounts for around 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions. That is a sixth of all transportation emissions, the effect is 40% higher when we take non-CO₂ impacts on climate into account, air travel is highly inequal, and international flights are currently not part of any country’s emissions. All this implies that a global framework for limiting emissions from air travel is dearly demanded.

These emissions are generated in a very unequal way. Air travel dominates the individual contribution to climate change for most travellers, but these are only a small percentage of world population – estimates are that only one in five humans has ever the chance to fly, and still among those the inequalities between once-in-a-lifetime, once-every-some-years and frequent travellers are large.

And while people need food, housing, and heating, the same cannot be said with regards to NYC shopping tours or snorkling vacation on the Maledives that are doable only with air travel.

Plus, discussing regulation on air travel shows how serious we are, the mostly young and mostly well-educated avantgarde of the world that starts Civil democracy, when it comes to adapting our own lifestyle to sustainable dimensions.

There are hence many reasons to think about what we can press for in terms of reducing the greenhouse emissions of air travel. Contribute with us to this endeavor to find more sustainable ways to keep the world connected while allowing it to survive!