Posts filed under ‘Planes’
Planes
Introduction
Flying is great. It is a convenient way to travel, it is fast and now it is cheap. It’s fun. Many of us love our foreign holidays, and wouldn’t contemplate doing without them.
BUT
On average each plane uses about a gallon of fuel per 45 – 50 miles, per passenger. However, there is no one figure, as this depends on the type of plane, how full it is, the distance of the flight and so on.
That’s about the same as EVERY passenger on the plane driving a car like a Toyota Yaris the whole distance, there and back. So a flight to Rome and back is the same as each and every passenger driving a small car all the way to Rome – and home again.
How significant is aviation, compared to other sources of CO2?
- Aviation produces around 2.5% of the world’s man-made carbon dioxide emissions.
- Aviation produces around 3% of the EU’s, and around 6.5% of the UK’s.
Because planes emit their waste gases at high altitude, there are greater effects from their pollution than the same gases would produce at ground level. (This phenomenon is called Radiative Forcing). The extent of this effect is still being researched, and there is no one agreed multiplier. Multiples between 1.7 and 4 are used. The UK government currently uses 2.7.
Taking Radiative Forcing into account, which means multiplying the carbon dioxide by a factor of 2.7, means that:
- Aviation produces around 6.5% of the world’s anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions.
- Aviation produces around 8% of the EU’s, and 17.5% for the UK’s anthropogenic carbon dioxide.
How fast is aviation growing?
Aviation is the fastest growing form of transport, and fastest growing source of climate change gases.
Not only that, worldwide there has been around 5% yearly growth in aviation, in passenger kilometres, since 1996.
IATA (International Air Transport Association) forecast is for 5 – 6% growth of global aviation to continue, year on year, for years ahead.
In the UK aviation grew by 11% last year. The average rate of growth in aviation in the UK for the past decade or so has been 7%. The Government forecasts 500 million passengers a year by 2030 – up from 229 million in 2005
The predicted increase in aviation in the UK – as set out in the current Aviation White Paper – will take up all of the UK’s carbon dioxide allowance by 2030, leaving none for any other activities, if we are on target to meet the government’s target of a 60% reduction by 2050.
Why is air travel disproportionately cheap?
Aviation isn’t subject to the same taxes as other forms of transport. Incredibly, airlines pay no tax on fuel. And there is no VAT on plane tickets. The end result? Every UK taxpayer effectively subsidises the aviation industry by over £300 per year – whether you fly or not.
How does air compare to other means of travel, in CO2 emissions?
Comparing different forms of transport, here are rough figures of how much energy is taken up. It is impossible to give accurate figures, as it depends on how many people are travelling in each form of transport, the length of the journey, the speed etc.
| Transport Type | Energy Use |
|---|---|
| Car – average models | 25 – 45 miles per gallon per car |
| Car – the most fuel efficient available | 50 – 60 miles per gallon per car |
| Car – large models, SUVs etc | 10 – 25 miles per gallon per car |
| Rail – normal suburban | around 50 – 150 miles per gallon per passenger |
| Rail – high speed | around 40 – 80 miles per gallon per passenger |
| Bus – well used service | around 80 – 140 miles per gallon per passenger |
| Air – (below 500 miles) | around 20 miles per gallon per passenger (including radiative forcing index at 2.7) |
| Air – (long journeys) | around 30 miles per gallon per passenger (less than short haul, as much of the energy is used in take-off and climbing) |
| Ship | not available – but comparable to suburban rail or bus. |
This means that the most energy efficient way to travel is by coach or by rail. These forms of travel have the least climate changing effect.
It also means that flying produces perhaps x 5 as much climate changing effect as travelling by coach or rail.
Flying produces approximately as much climate changing effect as each passenger driving a fuel efficient car the whole distance, there and back.
How much CO2 does your flight generate, and how does that relate to your other energy use?
These are very approximate figures, as everyone’s lifestyle is different, some people use more energy in their daily life, some share homes with several others, some live alone, some have energy efficient houses, some do not, some have SUVs, and some have small, fuel efficient cars. But taking broad average figures:
Examples
- A return flight to Barcelona or Rome, for one person, might produce as much climate changing effect as all your hot water, lighting, cooking and domestic appliance use for one year.
- A return flight to Athens, for one person, might produce as much climate changing effect as all your domestic heating for one year.
- A return flight to Cairo, or Cyprus, (around 2,000 miles, or 3200 km) for one person, produces around the same climate changing effect, taking radiative forcing into account, as one person’s annual total heating, hot water, lighting and electrical appliance use
- A return flight to Atlanta, or Delhi, for one person, produces around the same climate changing effect, taking radiative forcing into account, as one person’s annual total heating, hot water, lighting, electrical appliance, food and product consumption, and car use.
Can carbon “offsetting” for a flight cancel out the harm?
It is possible to “offset” the carbon dioxide from your flight. There are various schemes by which people can pay a small charge that buys some means of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thus people manage to salve their consciences, and make a contribution to something reversing the damage their emissions are causing.
Some of the schemes involve planting trees, which take up carbon dioxide during their lifetime, thereby locking it up in their structure, for several decades. However, when the tree dies or is cut down and burned, the carbon dioxide returns to the atmosphere. The big snag is that a small sapling is planted on your behalf, to offset your emissions. It will take decades for this little plant to really start to remove carbon dioxide from the air – if the tree survives. Meanwhile, all the carbon dioxide from your trip is still sitting in the atmosphere, not being removed.
Other schemes involve paying a contribution to a project that is reducing carbon dioxide emissions in a developing country, with projects such as buying low energy light bulbs for poor communities, providing them with efficient stoves, or building homes with good insulation. These schemes seek to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being emitted by the recipients. An equivalent amount of money, given as a gift, to the scheme would do just as much good – and prevent the generation of just as much carbon dioxide – as money paid in compensation for your travel. However, the carbon dioxide from your trip has been produced and is already in the atmosphere.
You may, or may not, believe that getting someone else, somewhere else in the world, to “do the right thing” on your behalf is a good solution.
Both forms of the schemes are useful, but neither gets over the problem that the carbon dioxide form your travel /activity has already been released to the atmosphere.
But the carbon offsetting schemes are at least a start, and any traveller with concerns about their carbon emissions would be well advised to consider contributing to such a scheme. But don’t image they are a perfect solution – they are not.
There has been a Joint statement on offsetting carbon emissions – by Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and WWF-UK.
This can be found at: http://www.agreenerfestival.com/WWF-GP-FoE_on_offseting.pdf
Their advice is to only purchase offsets that comply with the criteria laid out in their
document e.g. energy efficiency or renewable energy projects which support the transition to
non-fossil fuel based energy systems, projects which make a valid contribution to sustainable
development and deliver a real additional emission saving – and where available
purchase credits from projects which have been certified by the Gold Standard.
Examples of online retailers which sell offsets from projects which meet the Gold
Standard criteria include:
However, most organisations selling offsets should be able to provide Gold Standard credits
if asked to do so.
Three other schemes you could try are:
- Climate Care
This includes a calculator, that works out the amount of carbon dioxide your flight will
generate, and the sum you need to pay to offset it.
(It does not take account of the radiative forcing element of your journey,
so the amounts shown are half or less than the real figure) - The Carbon Neutral Company
This calculates the carbon dioxide generated by your flight, and gives you a choice of project to invest in. - Carbon Clear
This scheme has a set fee for four distance brackets of flights, and a choice of projects, mainly tree planting schemes.
Calculating the emissions, and then working out the price, is something of an art rather than a science. Take your pick.
As an example, a return flight for one person from London to Cape Town comes up as:
| Website | Emissions (tonnes of CO2) | Offset cost (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Climate Care | 2.82 | 21.18 |
| Atmosfair – use the English version | 7.04 | 100 (141 Euros) |
| Climate Friendly | 5.75 | 86 (121 Euros) |
What are the alternatives to flying?
Outside Europe
Well, if you are determined to go somewhere outside Europe, you could go by ship. There is no real, fast alternative to flying – but perhaps try and keep long haul trips to a minimum, for an occasional treat every few years at the most.
For the adventurous, free spirited, or those with plenty of time, how about a trip on a passenger freighter!! One useful website is at: http://www.freightertrips.com/guide/faq.html
Within England
In England rail services are available to most towns and cities. For rail details, go the National Rail Enquiries website at: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
The train to Edinburgh takes about 6 hours from Epsom. A flight from Gatwick might take you 3½ to 4 hours, by the time you have got to the airport, had a 2 hour check in time, been delayed……..etc.
The train to Manchester takes about 3½ hours, while a flight from Gatwick would take about the same.
Within Europe
In Europe and for journeys of 500 – 600 miles or less, rail is a very acceptable alternative. Try Eurostar, and high speed rail.
You can find the Rail Europe website (and find a map of all their destinations) at:
http://www.raileurope.co.uk/europeantickets/destinations.htm
The Eurostar from London to Paris takes 2 hours 45 minutes (and soon to be 2 hours and 15 minutes when the new terminal opens at St Pancras Station). Taking into account the time it takes to get to Waterloo, the check-in time and so on, this is very comparable to the time a flight would take.
How much CO2 is generated by my flight?
Below are some figures of the CO2 produced by a range of return flights and the carbon offset cost, for one person (from the Climate Care website). There figures only take into account the carbon dioxide, and not the radiative forcing effects. To include those, at a multiple of x2, each figure needs to be doubled. You can check out your own flight details at the Climate Care website: http://www.climatecare.org/calculators/flights_calc.cfm
| Journey | Emissions (tonnes of CO2) | Offset cost (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Gatwick to Paris | 0.10 | 0.74 |
| Gatwick to Barcelona or Venice | 0.26 | 1.93 |
| Gatwick to Krakow | 0.32 | 2.41 |
| Gatwick to Rome | 0.32 | 2.39 |
| Gatwick to Malaga | 0.37 | 2.76 |
| Gatwick to Athens | 0.53 | 3.95 |
| Gatwick to Corfu | 0.45 | 3.34 |
| Gatwick to Cyprus – 3250km (2032 miles) | 0.71 | 5.33 |
| Gatwick to Cairo – 3510km (2180 miles) | 0.77 | 5.8 |
| Gatwick to New York | 1.55 | 11.61 |
| Gatwick to Chicago – 6363km (395 miles) | 1.77 | 13.24 |
| Gatwick to Delhi | 1.88 | 14.09 |
| Gatwick to Atlanta – 6770km (4207 miles) | 1.89 | 14.18 |
| Gatwick to New Orleans | 2.10 | 15.73 |
| Gatwick to Vancouver | 2.15 | 16.16 |
| Gatwick to Beijing – 8143 km (5059 Miles) | 2.33 (the same as a 45 mpg car doing 10,000 miles) | 17.45 |
| Gatwick to Rio | 2.68 | 20.06 |
| Gatwick to Bangkok | 2.78 | 20.82 |
| Gatwick to Cape Town | 2.81 | 21.07 |
| Gatwick to Melbourne | 5.56 | 41.73 |
| Gatwick to Auckland, New Zealand | 6.21 | 46.57 |
