What is the carbon footprint of a plane?

CO2 emissions from aviation fuel are 3.15 grams per gram of fuel [1], which gives CO2 emissions from a Boeing 737-400 of 115 g per passenger per km. At a cruising speed of 780 km per hour [Wikipedia, 28.2. 08], this is equivalent to 90 kg CO2 per passenger per hour.



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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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Air traffic represents less than 2-3% of the global CO2 emissions whereas road traffic accounts for around 10% of these direct emissions. Still, planes remain among the most polluting means of transport, together with cars.

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In fact, unless you're looking to venture from Los Altos to LA off-road through state parks the whole way—in a Hummer with Tonka-truck mud tires—driving is generally greener than flying.

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Finally, the plane is the most polluting means of transport and the one that generates the most greenhouse emissions.

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The luxury sports car brand Bugatti received the highest NEDC with an average of 0.52 kg/km — much higher than any other brand. In second place was Rolls Royce with 0.35 kg/km, followed by Lamborghini and Ferrari with similar NEDC data. But vehicles don't have to be expensive to produce high levels of pollution.

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In fact, if the entire aviation sector were a country, it would be one of the top 10 carbon-polluting nations on the planet. Air travel is also currently the most carbon intensive activity an individual can make.

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Flying economy class also reduces carbon emissions relative to business or first class, in part because it maximizes the capacity of the airplane. And flying shorter distances produces fewer emissions than longer distances.

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Taking a seven-day cruise is more than three times as carbon-intensive as flying and staying abroad.

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Taking the train or ferry works out to be around seven times less polluting than travelling by plane, according to various estimates. Travelling by train is slightly greener than taking the ferry, in terms of emissions.

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Aviation is responsible for between 2pc and 3pc of global carbon emissions. And Ms Thunberg continues to refuse to fly because of the impact on the environment.

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Airplanes become more fuel efficient with every generation, and there are plenty of ways old planes can be spruced up. Winglets can be added on to the end of wing's, reducing drag and reducing fuel consumption by 6 percent.

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