There’s no use denying it. Short of travelling by Space Shuttle, flying is the worst way of getting from A to B as far as contributing to climate change is concerned. Although there is considerable debate about exactly how much of humanity’s global greenhouse gas output is due to airplanes, the aviation industry is widely acknowledged to be the fastest growing emitter.

So what’s an environmentally conscious traveler to do? Of course you do all you can to keep your carbon footprint in check, but often there are just no viable alternatives to hopping on a plane. Trekking overland from Jozi to London may be an awesome adventure, but a practical way of getting to your sister’s wedding on time it is not. Durban to Dubai by public transport anyone?

Don’t despair if your next business trip can’t wait for the invention of a super-efficient jet powered by sunflower oil. While the holy grail of truly carbon neutral air travel may well remain elusive for many years, there are a number of practical, cheap and easy things you can do to keep your carbon wingspan down to an ethically-defensible size.

Travel Light

Every kilogram of extra weight you add to your luggage requires a little bit more jet fuel. That might sound trivial, but it all adds up. So take that third pair of shoes and your dumbbells out of your suitcase now!

Fly Non-stop and Direct

Take-off and landing are the most fuel-intense bits of any plane trip and account for a large proportion of total emissions. Avoid stop-overs, detours and connecting flights wherever possible. Always choose the most direct route – the longer the flight, the more fuel is burned.

Travel Smart

Use teleconferencing and other modern communication tools to avoid unnecessary business trips. When you do have to fly for work, schedule meetings to optimize your travel time – is it really necessary to fly to Cape Town twice in the same week?

Fly Economy

More legroom in business class translates into fewer seats and more fuel used - and thus more greenhouse gasses emitted - per passenger. Carbon emissions for business class flights have been estimated to be as much as twice those for economy class.

Pick Your Airline

If you have the option, try to choose an airline with a modern fleet of planes – airplane fuel efficiency has improved significantly in recent years. Choose an airline with a good “on-time” record, especially for international flights. Delays are often the result of waiting planes circling above airports burning fuel unnecessarily all as a result of poor planning.

Offset Your Flying Miles

There are numerous organizations that allow you to offset your air travel carbon emissions online. The process is easy and quick: you calculate the amount of greenhouse gasses you are responsible for and pay money towards a variety of climate protection projects around the globe. The trend these days is away from tree-planting projects and towards schemes developing renewable energy sources, environmentally sustainable business solutions and energy efficiency. Next time you fly, why not repay your carbon sins through one of these reputable non-profit organizations?

Why not visit these sites for more information:

myclimate

atmosfair

Climate Friendly

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