Do planes produce more or less CO2 than cars?

For example, a study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute states the energy intensity of car transportation is on average 57% higher than air transports. In other words, a car emits more CO2 than the average planes because they consume more energy to transport the same amount of passengers.



On a per-passenger-kilometer basis, a full commercial flight is often more efficient than a single person driving a large SUV, but planes produce significantly more CO2 overall for any given journey due to the massive distances they cover. For example, a flight from London to Paris emits much more carbon than taking a high-speed train or driving a full electric car. A major factor in 2026 is that aviation emissions occur high in the atmosphere, where they have a greater warming effect through "non-CO2" impacts like contrails. Statistically, driving a fuel-efficient car with three or four passengers is almost always greener than flying the same distance. However, for long-haul travel, there is no "car" equivalent, so the comparison shifts to the aircraft's efficiency. The 2026 aviation industry is heavily pivoting toward Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and full auctioning of carbon permits in the EU to bridge the wide "emissions gap" between air and ground transport.

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The EPA states that “a typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.” Comparatively, a cross-country, round-trip flight in economy from New York to Los Angeles produces an estimated 0.62 tons of CO2 per passenger, according to the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) ...

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While most people think driving a car is better for the environment than flying in an airplane, that's not necessarily true because airplane engines are getting much more efficient.

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As you add more passengers, the amount of emissions your party produces increases on a flight. In contrast, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, which trap heat and lead to global warming, produced decreases per person when driving.

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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.

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Just exactly how bad is flying really? Air travel accounts for 2.5% of global carbon emissions. In the US, flying accounted for 8% of transportation emissions, but less than 3% of total carbon emissions.

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Your odds of being in an accident during a flight is one in 1.2 million, and the chances of that accident being fatal are one in 11 million. Your chances of dying in a car crash, conversely, are one in 5,000. Want answers to more key questions in aviation? Check out the rest of our guides here!

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Thunberg refuses to fly because of the carbon emissions of the airline industry and the trip was announced as carbon neutral. As a racing sailboat, the Malizia II has no toilet, fixed shower, cooking facilities or proper beds.

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Personal planes have significantly higher emissions than other modes of transport. An average journey in one produces CO2 equivalent to driving a petrol car from Paris to Rome 16 times.

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The main difference between flying and driving to a vacation is time spent. Benefits and drawbacks vary for either; driving can make hard-to-reach areas accessible, but risks traffic and high gas prices. Flying, meanwhile, allows you to multitask, but you're at the whim of airlines.

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Aviation accounts for around 2.5% of global CO2 emissions, but 3.5% when we take non-CO2 impacts on climate into account. Flying is a highly controversial topic in climate debates. There are a few reasons for this. The first is the disconnect between its role in our personal and collective carbon emissions.

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If we take an overall view of the transport sector, 71% of transportation related carbon emissions come from road users, whereas only 1.8% of emissions stem from rail travel. So in absolute terms, trains are responsible for a lot less emissions than cars.

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Trains. Besides walking and biking, traveling by train remains one of the greenest and most environment-friendly options when getting around. Regardless if electric or diesel-powered, trains emit between 66 and 75 percent fewer carbon emissions when compared to cars and airplanes.

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Past and Future China, the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, produces 12.7 billion metric tons of emissions annually. That dwarfs U.S. emissions, currently about 5.9 billion tons annually.

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