Yes, I Care About the Earth & Yes, I Still Fly

For those of you who may not know, my husband and I live in Fort Worth, Texas. Both of our families live in California (and one of our siblings lives in New York City, with our soon-to-be niece).  My husband flies planes for a living. Given his career, we both have the privilege of being able to travel leisurely. We both enjoy traveling and we're also both very close to our families, so it's a big advantage to be able to see them frequently. We even have travel plans in the books for our first anniversary. I know how lucky we are to have these benefits, but I also know that our traveling has negative effects on our planet. I'll be highlighting what exactly flying does to the environment, why we shouldn't shame others for choosing to travel, and how we can make flying a little greener.

How Flying Affects the Environment

Flying is not the worst thing in the world for the environment, but it does play a role. Aviation accounts for approximately 2.5% of human-induced CO2 emissions, and it accounts for 11% of all transportation-related emissions in the United States alone. (However, by contrast, deforestation contributes nearly 20% of human-induced CO2 emissions, which is as much as all forms of transportation combined. What we should really do is stop cutting down the world's forests.) About 25% of of airplane emissions actually come from landings and take-offs. This also includes taxiing, which is the largest source of emissions in the landing-takeoff cycle.

There are other options we could consider, like driving. However, the longer the distance, the more efficient flying would be. There's also the option of traveling on a cruise ship. But according to research from the International Council on Clean Transportation, even the most efficient cruise ships emit 3 to 4 times more CO2 per passenger-mile than an airline jet.

On the positive side, tourism creates millions of jobs in places that are in need of economic development. There is such thing as good tourism that encourages conservation work and poverty alleviation. 

Is #flightshaming Okay?

Because of these effects that traveling has on the Earth, escaping on an adventurous vacation has now been labeled as the epitome of selfish consumption. Shaming is never okay. Something I really stand by is encouraging every individual in their efforts to produce less waste and care for the Earth. Everyone's low waste journey is different, and everyone has different priorities and privileges. I am aware of my choices and opportunities, and I do my best to reduce my footprint in other aspects of my life. But to be honest, I love traveling and I love seeing the world. 

Even the littlest efforts count and help, but what really needs to happen are policy changes on a worldwide scale. Shaming people for their own personal decisions is not an effective or productive way to demand change. Focus on a larger scale, and pressure the aviation industry (and other industries) to continue to make greener choices. We can encourage industries to make change if we continue to bring about awareness. Use your voice and dollars to vote and speak on what you care about, rather than pointing fingers and unproductively shaming one another.

How to Fly Greener

Fly Less, Fly Coach, Fly Nonstop

The first, and obvious, option is to choose to fly less. The fewer the flights, the less jet fuel airline companies would burn. You can also choose to fly nonstop, instead of making layovers. This helps reduce the emissions that come from the landing-takeoff cycle. Flying coach is another choice you can make. According to a study from the World Bank, emissions from flying in business class are about three times as much as flying in coach; considering first class has bigger seats, so they move fewer people with the same amount of fuel.

Apparently, we can also cut emissions by listening to the flight attendants. Sometimes they announce rules about lowering and raising your window shades. When landing in a warm destination, they might ask you to shut your window shades. The reason for this is to reduce the amount of fuel used to cool the aircraft. We can't think of the airlines as the enemy, because they still consider little things like this to save fuel where they can.

While traveling, you can also choose to pack reusable items like tumblers and water bottles to refill and use onboard instead of plastic cups. Packing your own snacks is also a great way to control the amount of waste you create.

Offset Carbon Emissions

When you fly, you can buy carbon offsets. The goal of carbon offsetting is to take planet-warming CO2 out of the atmosphere by putting money towards things like replanting trees. Some airlines give you the option of buying carbon offsets, but you can also buy offsets through other organizations. For example, Sustainable Travel International (who runs United's offset program) offers two choices to offset an almost 0.9-metric-ton carbon footprint of a single passenger (flying from NY to San Francisco and back) by either: donating $8.95 to a wind farm in Texas or $10.75 to a forest conservation program in Peru. It's important, however, to make sure you're getting credible and real emissions reductions. Choose a program that really does what it says. Make sure it can be verified by an independent third party. All the programs that are used by major airlines are verified to provide the carbon reduction effects they claim.

Know your Fuels & your Airlines

Ever since 2011, commercial airlines have been using biofuels in some passenger flights, mixed with conventional petroleum-based fuels. The biofuels are sourced from things like natural oils and seaweed and agricultural waste. This ultimately helps reduce planet-warming emissions from flying. In 2016, United Airlines started using biofuels in all of its flights out of Los Angeles. According to United, the company that makes the biofuel (AltAir Fuels), is estimated to cut at least 60% of greenhouse gas emissions compared to regular jet fuel. In October of 2017, more than 190 countries agreed to reduce the carbon footprint of air travel with offsets and efficiency improvements. Today, I even see posters throughout DFW Airport that boast of the airport's steps to be greener and more efficient. You can also look up the fuel efficiency of the airlines you choose to fly. In 2010, Alaska Airlines and Spirit Airlines were the most efficient domestic carriers, while American Airlines and Allegiant Air were at the bottom.

Do your best to research the options you choose, offset your carbon emissions and create less waste where you can, but ultimately enjoy your life and let others enjoy the choices they make. Let's work together to help make the Earth a greener, but also more encouraging, place.

Sources: Flying is Bad for the Planet. You Can Help Make it Better ; If Seeing the World Helps Ruin It, Should We Stay Home? ; What if All That Flying is Good for the Planet?