Since our pandemic staycation, we all seem to be flying to distant skies again. But do we really understand what that decision means for the environment and the bigger picture? Some researchers from England have given their perspective. So that the next time we fly, we can make a more informed decision. Should we want to do so.

Main image: Pexels, Marina Hinic

Do you remember those images of cleaner rivers as a result of the lockdown? In the meantime, we seem to have resumed our habit of long distance flying. The thing is, can we truly say we understand the impact of our decision to take a flight? A bunch of researchers from England say that it is important we do. That it’s key to the planet, the environment, our time on earth. Because, they say, compared to other modes of transport, flying is really quite a bad one. And especially longer-distance flights.

To shed some light on the matter, the British researchers look at travel behaviour of British travellers. They found that long-distance travel (for which the researchers took 80 kilometres one-way as a minimum baseline) emits some of the highest levels of CO2 of all forms of travel. And it’s particularly flying for leisure and social purposes that are the worst CO2 contributors. We are flying further and fly long distances more often. Britain is not alone in this. Particularly in the West we love going longer distances; in search of adventure, or a different climate.

All in all, the British researchers join a growing view. That the time has come to turn policy attention to making travel cleaner, and in particular air travel. Because flying is that bad for the environment, long-haul fliers can collectively make a huge change. By choosing to travel in another way, they can achieve a disproportionately large reduction in emissions. “Collectively, if everyone who flies reduces even one flight, it could make a big change,” one of the researchers Zia Wadud, PhD DIC, Associate Professor told us.

Source: Wadud, Z., Adeel, M. & Anable, J. Understanding the large role of long-distance travel in carbon emissions from passenger travel. Nat Energy (2024).

“Collectively, if everyone who flies reduces even one flight, it could make a big change.”

Larger footprint?

Air flight traffic is also known for emitting other harmful substances. Along with CO2 from burning fuel, planes are also found to affect the concentration of other atmospheric gases and pollutants. Take long-term decrease in ozone and methane as well as increased emissions of exhaust fumes, soot, sulphur aerosols. There are also the plastic coffee cups, headphones, unused meals, and all those other throwaway bits and bobs to consider.

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