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In 2017 the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
documented a record-breaking 4.1 billion people waiting in line to check-in, go
through security, shuffle on board a plane and take to the skies. This compares
to just a few million passengers in the 1950s.
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We are flying more frequently than ever before and taking
more long-haul trips. With cargo flights also added into the mix, it is easy to
see why there is growing concern about the aviation industry’s increasing
impact on the environment.
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(…) “A study on the environmental impact of the tourism
industry collected data from 160 countries to estimate the sector’s true carbon
footprint. The findings indicate that our habit of jetting off on holiday may
be doing more harm to the planet than previously estimated.
Between 2009 and 2013 the industry’s carbon footprint jumped
from 3.9 to 4.5 gigatonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide each year. This figure
represents about 8% of total global greenhouse gas emissions and is four times
greater than previous estimates of 2-3%. The study takes into account the
direct impact of holiday flights, ground transfers and hotels, but goes further
to include emissions from other factors related to tourism such as shopping,
eating out and getting around.
Researchers concluded that global demand for tourism is
outgrowing the industry’s efforts to go green, meaning that unless we
drastically change our habits, emissions from flying look set to keep
increasing in the future.”
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