According to the Air Transport Action Group (2020), the airline industry is responsible for 2% of the anthropogenic carbon emissions globally. But you probably already know how environmentally-unfriendly the airline industry can be.
So how about those ‘green’ airlines that have planted trees to offset their carbon emissions? Are they more environmentally-friendly than those typical airlines? At first glance, it seems more ‘environmentally-friendly’ since trees are technically carbon sinks, meaning that planting trees will increase the carbon sinks, absorbing the carbon emissions produced by the airplanes. With greater carbon dioxide absorbed by the trees, it will reduce air pollution levels and also mitigate the impacts of global warming (Kinver, 2016).
However, the carbon offsets purchased by airline companies do not necessarily reduce the carbon emissions they have produced while flying. Why is that so then?
Typically, after the airline purchases the carbon offsets, the trees will not be planted immediately, and the planting of trees will be instead delayed for years (Powley, Hook & Hollinger, 2019). This also means that the carbon sequestration will not take effect immediately after the production of the carbon emissions.
Besides that, some afforestation projects would still take place even if there are no offsets purchased. Since these projects would still take place, there will be no additional carbon emissions reduced in the first place (Dodsworth, 2020). Thus, in order for airlines to ensure that they really do reduce the carbon emissions, they will have to fund projects that will not materialise without their funding.
Moreover, carbon offsets can actually result in consumers and businesses having a false sense of reality, making them think that they can produce emissions just because they have already offsetted it. For instance, Frontier Airlines initiated a campaign to ‘raise awareness of its sustainability efforts’ by offering free flights to celebrate Green Week as they have already carbon offsetted enough for that promotion (Sampson, 2019). With consumers and businesses thinking that they can continue to pollute just because they have attained net zero emissions, it may ultimately lead to a net increase in carbon emissions produced.
So are the ‘greener’ airlines really green? Please share your thoughts with us down below at the comment section and remember to stay tuned for our next post later this week as we continue to explore and uncover more about these ‘green’ airlines! Seeya! 😉
References
Air Transport Action Group (2020). Facts and Figures. Retrieved from https://www.atag.org/facts-figures.html#:~:text=The%20global%20aviation%20industry%20produces,carbon%20dioxide%20(CO2)%20emissions.&text=Aviation%20is%20responsible%20for%2012,to%2074%25%20from%20road%20transport.
Dodsworth, L. (2020, January 9). The Traveller’s Guide to Carbon Offsetting Your Flights. On The Luce Travel Blog. Retrieved from https://www.ontheluce.com/carbon-offsetting-flights/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20ways%20it’s,emissions%20that%20their%20flights%20produce.
Kinver, M. (2016, 31 October). Growth of city trees can cut air pollution. BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37813709
Powley, T., Hook, L. & Hollinger, P. (2019, November 24). Airlines face long-haul to carbon-free flying. Financial Times. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/1081c524-0c73-11ea-bb52-34c8d9dc6d84
Sampson, H. (2019, August 16). ‘Green’ travel stunts by airlines can’t erase the environmental impact of flying. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2019/08/16/green-travel-stunts-by-airlines-cant-erase-environmental-impact-flying/