Five Things You Can Do to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Holiday Travel
There’s no sense in denying it, and no trying to ignore it: holiday travel season is here.
For some, that means braving crowded highways and gas station coffee. For others, that means fighting through long security lines and scrambling for that last spot in the overhead bin.
For the planet, it means dealing with the tremendous carbon impact all this holiday travel has on its climate. Last year, nearly one in three Americans traveled for the holidays — making it the busiest travel season on record. That means over 112 million holiday travelers, whether they rode the rails, hit the road, or took to the skies, all added to one of climate change’s biggest contributors: carbon emissions from travel.
Recreational and tourism related travel, in all its various forms, accounts for over 8% of the world’s total carbon emissions, and busy travel seasons like the one now upon us only contribute to the problem, pumping tonnes of climate change causing carbon into our atmosphere in the name of heading home for the holidays. Carbon emissions are a problem for the planet, and traveling only makes them worse. So what do we do?
We know that it’s tempting to use these numbers as an excuse to avoid visiting your in-laws this year, but in reality, asking people to swear off travel entirely, especially around the holidays, simply isn’t a practical option for most folks.
It’s not about giving up traveling, it’s simply about traveling better. It’s about making smart, informed decisions about your upcoming travel, and doing as much as possible to make sure that you get to where you’re going in a way that’s as friendly to the planet as possible.
And here’s how to do it.
Fly Non-Stop
The old saying “Flying’s easy, it’s the landing that’s hard” definitely comes into play here. The landings and take-offs of flights account for 25% of total airplane emissions, so the more direct route you fly, the better it is for the planet.
Fly Coach
We like a hot towel as much as the next person, but those seats up at the front of the plane are also some first class ways to increase your carbon footprint. Passengers in first class have a carbon footprint up to seven times larger than the economy seats, depending on the flight type and length.
Fly Less
Automobile emissions are no prize either, but when it comes to CO₂ per capita, they can’t come close to air travel’s impact on the planet. If at all possible, drive or take the train when heading out to gather with loved ones this year. Annual emissions from aviation are projected to grow to +1,800,000,000 tonnes a year by 2050, so anything we can do to remove a zero or two from that number in the meantime is a benefit for Earth.
Biofuels
Biofuel use in airplanes produces around 60% fewer carbon emissions than regular jet fuel, so whenever possible, fly on an airline that utilizes them.
For instance, United Airlines and Boeing are part of the Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative (MASBI), a group designed to advance aviation biofuel development.
Recently, Delta announced it intends to invest $2 million to explore building a dedicated biofuel refinery in Washington.
Alaska Airlines launched the first biofuel blend-powered flight in the USA in 2011, and has committed to a 20% reduction in their emissions by 2020 via the use of modern fuel-efficient aircraft, investing in advanced flight technologies, using satellite navigation to fly more efficient (shorter) routes, and further advancing the use of sustainable aviation biofuels.
American Airlines expects to begin its first biofuel flights in mid-2021 using a Boeing ecoDemonstrator airplane, and recently, both IAG (who owns British Airways) and Quantas committed to reducing their carbon to net zero levels by 2050.
As you can see, major airlines and airplane manufacturers are already taking steps to increase their reliance on biofuels and improve their efficiency — so make sure you select a carrier that’s as dedicated to the planet’s future as you are.
Even after taking all of these into consideration, there’s no avoiding it — when you fly over the holidays this year, you’ll be actively contributing to a major cause of climate change. But just because you can’t avoid it doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. Simply calculate your travel’s footprint, purchase offsets from a verified, trusted platform (ahem), and offset the baggage of carbon pollution after you fly.
It’s a way of thinking that EasyJet just made official this week, when they became the first major airline in the world to offset all its carbon without passing the cost on to passengers. And while not all airlines or brands are quite at this level yet, it’s a great start.
More and more places, like our fashionable friends at ADAY, or the planet-saving crew over at Ensemble Travel Group, are working to create more opportunities for you to ensure you can travel better every day, and as a result, it’s never been easier to reduce the impact your flights have on the planet.
You may not be able to reduce it all, but you can do your best — and you can offset the rest. And around the holiday season, that’s something we, and the planet, can all be thankful for.
