Fly high? No, fly less!

Airplanes emit around 100 times more CO2 per hour than a shared bus or train ride, and the emissions of global aviation are around 1 billion tons of CO2 per year — more than the emissions of most countries, including Germany.

Aviation contributes an estimated 2.4% of global annual CO2 emissions, most from commercial travel. If aviation were a country, it would be the world’s sixth-biggest emitter, falling after China, the US, India, Russia, and Japan!

Prior to Covid, in 2018, over 4.3 billion passenger journeys were recorded. CO2 emissions persist for hundreds of years, so all emissions from all past flights are still at play.

Whilst some air travel is necessary, a huge number of flights are not. Businesses and other organisations could use platforms like Zoom, as an alternative to flying, and individuals, who often fly for no other reason than to tick-list the places and countries they have visited, should be strictly rationed for such flights.

And let's also consider private jets, the most polluting. There's been exponential growth in private jets, which has of course coincided with the growth of the super rich. Very strict limits need to be introduced here.

In sum, the most effective solution to reducing both the climate and health impacts of aviation is to fly less, and if people and companies won't do that voluntarily, then governments need to step in.