 The airline industry's rapid growth over the last several years has made long-distance travel more accessible to us now than in the past. The downside is that the more we travel, the more we increase our carbon footprint.
The next time you plan a vacation that involves boarding a plane, consider what you can do to minimize the impact of your travel on the planet. Implementing small changes will, in turn, also minimize your impact on the Earth.
Airplane travel consumes a massive amount of fossil fuels on an annual basis. Given the climate change crisis, non-eco-friendly air travel raises a red flag, especially since the level of emissions that planes release into the atmosphere is significantly higher than those released by ground vehicles (all thanks to the longer distances and high altitudes). According to the Greenpeace organization, flying causes ten times more damage to the environment than taking a train! Let's look at how a flight creates a carbon footprint, and your options for transforming your air travel into green air travel.
Going Green with Carbon Offsetting
As the debate over global warming heats up, a number of airlines are beginning to recognize the alarming effects of their operations and are focusing on how they can help to improve the situation.
Within the last couple of years, British Airways has adopted measures to increase fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions by running its aircraft engines less than before. One remarkably simple step British Airways has taken is reducing the running time of auxiliary power units that provide ground services for aircraft. Air traffic management has also come under the radar for similar issues in airports all over the world. More and more, you will find that airlines are taking less time to queue up for take-offs and landing, processes which both consume large amounts of fuel.
Some airlines have introduced the concept of carbon offsetting—an initiative that encourages passengers to pay a voluntary surcharge for flights. The income from the surcharge finances green projects such as reforestation, renewable energy development, energy efficiency projects and other initiatives designed to help to balance out the environmental impact of airborne journeys. British Airways has partnered with eco-centered company Climate Care to offset passenger emissions for air travel. Other airlines including Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, Delta, SAS and Virgin Blue also tagged 2007 as a year to initiate carbon offsetting programs.
One noted hiccup in the offsetting process is that currently, there is no clear-cut way of knowing whether or not offsets are put to use for their promised purpose. Recently, offset verification programs have emerged with the intent of setting a "gold-standard" certification to ensure that offsets are actually implemented—EnviroCitizen.org suggests you keep an eye out for the latest updates.
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