Reducing airline's climate impact: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:28, 20 January 2009

Airlines can differentiate themselves, and consumers can select airlines, based on a number of ethical issues. For example, consumers might express their displeasure for a country by boycotting its national airline. This article confines itself to the issue of climate change. Potential air travellers might respond to the issue of climate change by travelling less and/or by using other modes of transport which are perceived as being more efficient (such as rail). This article further confines itself to the steps being taken by some airlines to offer services that are more ‘climate friendly’ and the response of consumers to those services.

Three approaches to climate change

Air travel is suspected of contributing significantly to climate change through a number of mechanisms (not just greenhouse gas emissions). Individual airlines and air travellers are currently utilizing/exploring three approaches to reduce their impact on climate:

Carbon offsetting: Paying others to achieve a counterbalancing effect on climate through activities outside the air transport sector. Note that the effectiveness of carbon offsetting is criticised.
Reducing air travel’s consumption of fossil fuels (air travel’s contribution to well-mixed greenhouse gases is completely dominated by the emission of carbon dioxide from burning fossil-derived aviation fuels^[1]^,^[2]). Two ways in which this can be done are:
- Improve fuel efficiency.
- Use a biofuel: This has some effect only if the biofuel has lower full-life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon offsetting — independent of airline

^[3]

References

↑ M.V.Chester, Life-cycle Environmental Inventory of Passenger Transportation in the United States (UCB-ITS-DS-2008-1, Fall 2008).
↑ AMR Corporation, Environmental Responsibility Report (3MB) 2007.
↑ Anja Kollmuss & Jessica Lane, Carbon Offsetting & Air Travel Part 1: CO2-Emissions Calculations (Stockholm Environment Institute, May 2008)

[1] M.V.Chester, Life-cycle Environmental Inventory of Passenger Transportation in the United States (UCB-ITS-DS-2008-1, Fall 2008).

[2] AMR Corporation, Environmental Responsibility Report (3MB) 2007.

[3] Anja Kollmuss & Jessica Lane, Carbon Offsetting & Air Travel Part 1: CO2-Emissions Calculations (Stockholm Environment Institute, May 2008)

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[2]

[3]

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 Air travel is suspected of contributing significantly to climate change through [[Aviation and the environment|a number of mechanisms]] (not just [[Greenhouse gas|greenhouse gas emissions]]).  Individual airlines and air travellers are currently utilizing/exploring three approaches to reduce their impact on climate:
 * [[Carbon offset|'''''Carbon offsetting:''''']] Paying others to achieve a counterbalancing effect on climate through activities outside the air transport sector.  Note that the effectiveness of carbon offsetting is criticised.
-* Reducing consumption of [[Fossil fuel|fossil fuels]] (air travel’s contribution to well-mixed greenhouse gases is completely dominated by the emission of [[carbon dioxide]] from burning fossil-derived [[Aviation fuel|aviation fuels]]<ref>M.V.Chester, [http://repositories.cdlib.org/its/ds/UCB-ITS-DS-2008-1/ ''Life-cycle Environmental Inventory of Passenger Transportation in the United States''] (UCB-ITS-DS-2008-1, Fall 2008).</ref><sup>,</sup>]]<ref>AMR Corporation [http://www.aa.com/content/images/amrcorp/amrerr.pdf ''Environmental Responsibility Report''] 2007.</ref>).  This can be done in two ways:
+* Reducing air travel’s consumption of [[Fossil fuel|fossil fuels]] (air travel’s contribution to [[IPCC list of greenhouse gases|well-mixed greenhouse gases]] is completely dominated by the emission of [[carbon dioxide]] from burning fossil-derived [[Aviation fuel|aviation fuels]]<ref>M.V.Chester, [http://repositories.cdlib.org/its/ds/UCB-ITS-DS-2008-1/ ''Life-cycle Environmental Inventory of Passenger Transportation in the United States''] (UCB-ITS-DS-2008-1, Fall 2008).</ref><sup>,</sup><ref>AMR Corporation, [http://www.aa.com/content/images/amrcorp/amrerr.pdf ''Environmental Responsibility Report'' (3MB)] 2007.</ref>).  Two ways in which this can be done are:
-** '''''Improve [[[[Fuel_efficiency_in_transportation|fuel efficiency]].'''''
+** '''''Improve [[Fuel_efficiency_in_transportation|fuel efficiency]].'''''
-** '''''Use an alternative fuel''''' (such as a biofuel):  This has some effect only if the alternative fuel has lower full-life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions.
+** '''''Use a [[biofuel]]:'''''  This has some effect only if the biofuel has lower [[Life cycle assessment|full-life-cycle]] greenhouse gas emissions.
+== Carbon offsetting — independent of airline ==
-== Three approaches to carbon emissions ==
-To date, [[IPCC list of greenhouse gases|long-lived greenhouse gases]], in particular, carbon dioxide, have been the focus of consideration (although aviation is also believed to contribute to climate change through [[Aviation and the environment|other mechanisms]]).  For air travel, greenhouse gas emissions are totally dominated by carbon dioxide from burning mineral-derived aircraft fuel<ref name="CO2dom">See, for example, Anja Kollmuss & Jessica Lane, [http://www.sei-us.org/Air_Travel_Emissions_Paper_Part1.pdf Carbon Offsetting & Air Travel] Part 1: CO2-Emissions Calculations (Stockholm Environment Institute, May 2008) and AMR Corporation [http://www.aa.com/content/images/amrcorp/amrerr.pdf Environmental Responsibility Report] 2007.</ref>.  Such carbon emissions can be addressed by:
+<ref>Anja Kollmuss & Jessica Lane, [http://www.sei-us.org/Air_Travel_Emissions_Paper_Part1.pdf Carbon Offsetting & Air Travel] Part 1: CO2-Emissions Calculations (Stockholm Environment Institute, May 2008)</ref>