Should We Stop Flying To Help The Environment?

Must We Stop Flying to be Green and EcoFriendly?

We all know that flying is really bad for the environment. So, should we stop flying if we want to live green?

The answer is – mostly ….. kind of.

Confused? Let me explain.

We should stop flying sometimes, but not at other times. Why? First I’ll look at why flying is so bad for the environment, and then I’ll look at when it’s good to fly, and when you should stop flying – and when it’s OK.

(And at the end you’ll be able to download a free Cheat Sheet!)

Why Flying is Bad for the Environment

There are 5 main reasons why flying is bad for the environment:

1. Just one long flight (e.g. London – Sydney or Dallas to Sydney return) generates the same amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) as the average European generates in almost 4 months! Yes, that one round trip flight = the same amount of CO2 as 4 months of living (see data below for specifics).
2. Flying generates a lot of emissions in a very short space of time.
3. Flying at high altitudes (long flights) contributes significantly more to man-made climate change than surface travel due to the ozone and contrails produced.  If we want to flash-fry the planet, flying is the way to do it, when you look at figures over the short-term.
4. The number of flights is set to soar over the next 50 years, thus making the problem even worse.
5. The bulk of flight emissions are created by the relatively small percentage of people worldwide who fly.

Here’s the data I promised you: a London to Sydney round trip emits over 2 tons of CO2 per person (economy or coach). To put this into perspective, the average European (I dislike averages but it’s the easiest way to show this) generates about 7 tons per year from everything (eating, drinking, waste, driving etc).  The average American generates about 17 tons per year, (2014 figures).  So one long round trip flight generates as much CO2 in 2 days as a European living for 4 months.

So, Should We Stop Flying?

There’s no nice way of putting this.  Flying is absolutely lousy for the environment.

The carbon footprint of transport depends on a number of factors, such as the type of engine, the number of passengers, the length of the journey, the speed and the type of fuel or power. In other words, these figures may vary depending upon individual circumstances, but they’re accepted norms.

Here are the times when yes you should, absolutely stop flying.

Stop Flying When There’s an Alternative

London to Paris return on the EuroStar train produces about 0.01 tonnes of CO2 per passenger, whereas a return flight (Heathrow to Paris) produces ten times this amount.

When you factor in the waiting time at airports, then the time it takes to get through all the security, boarding, disembarking etc, you might be surprised at how other transport modes compare time-wise.

Rail is normally the greenest alterative with a very low relative carbon footprint per passenger mile.  You get to enjoy the scenery and your journey becomes part of your trip, rather than a boring method of getting from A to B in a metal cigar.

Buses are normally low-cost alternatives with very low carbon footprints.

Driving may also be an alternative, but bear in mind that if you drive something like a Hummer or large SUV then you may not reduce your footprint much. Small, fuel-efficient cars with more than one occupant can be an alternative if rail or bus is not an option.

Stop Flying Budget Airlines

The no-frills airlines claim they are more environmentally friendly than ‘legacy’ airlines because they operate newer planes that are more fuel efficient, and are often fuller (the carbon footprint of a full plane is less per passenger than a half-full plane).

However, the enormous growth of no-frills airlines has contributed to a massive increase in air travel which outweighs any gains in fuel efficiency and high load.

Budget airlines offer cheap holidays – but don’t be fooled. They’re not cheap for the planet. Ask yourself if the destination can’t be reached by a greener method.

Or see if you could have just as much fun on a local holiday and support your own country’s local businesses and tourism industry.

Or try a staycation!

Stop Flying Short-Haul

Short-haul flights don’t reach the high altitudes of a long-haul flight where contrails are produced and carbon exerts its more harmful effect, so that’s good. However, the large amounts of fuel used for take-off and landing is a high proportion of the total amount used on a flight, so it doesn’t take many short flights to produce as much CO2 as one long-haul flight.

Stop Flying at Night

Carbon remains in the atmosphere for decades, regardless of when it is pumped out of a plane while flying. However, it is better to avoid flying during the night because of the effect of a plane’s contrails.

According to Dr Piers Forster at the University of Leeds, the warming effect of contrails is doubled at night because they continue to trap heat from the earth but don’t reflect the sun’s rays back into space as they do during the day.

Stop Flying in Winter

It is also better to avoid flying in winter as planes produce more of these contrails in cold temperatures and high humidity. In the Northern Hemisphere, flights between December and February account for about a quarter of the total air traffic, yet according to Forster they contribute half of the aviation industry’s annual contribution to climate warming.

Stop Flying If You Think Offsetting Is Enough

It’s far better to look for greener ways to travel than carry on polluting and hope that carbon offsets will justify the damage. However, donating to a good offsetting scheme is better than ignoring the issue altogether, and does provide a way to counterbalance your carbon footprint in the absence of cleaner technologies.

Stop Flying First or Business Class

Travelling business or first class increases carbon emissions significantly, because each passenger takes up more space than in economy class or coach. Take the example of a nonstop flight from San Francisco to New York. You’ll emit over 2 tons of carbon dioxide in coach. But when you fly first class, you’ll emit almost 6 tons.

When Is It OK to Fly?

Yes, I do believe it fits in with a green lifestyle to fly sometimes. Even long-haul.  Here’s why.

Many of the world’s poorest countries rely on tourism and have few other economic alternatives. Tourism is now the principal export earner for a third of developing nations. On the little tropical island where I now live, almost one-third of the population is employed in some way by tourism.

Even in developed countries, tourism is valuable for conservation and rural development.

If you consider how best to use your flight, and choose to go on trips that bring tangible benefits to your destination, you can make a significant difference to conservation and to local communities.

Take Africa for example. The huge continent produces less than 3% of the world’s greenhouse gases, yet suffers massively from climate change that it did not create.

If the developed world stops flying to Africa, the loss of income and jobs from tourism will be devastating. In addition, animals and land which are currently preserved, may be given over to other uses to make up the income shortfall – think poaching and mining exploitation.

If you do fly for a vacation, combine the trip with not just carbon offsets but also political pressure / campaigning to make rail travel better and cheaper at home, and flying more expensive.

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Warm regards,