{"id":28960,"date":"2024-02-06T09:15:12","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T08:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonpote.com\/10-facts-and-figures-about-airplanes-and-the-climate\/"},"modified":"2024-02-09T20:20:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T19:20:13","slug":"10-facts-and-figures-about-airplanes-and-the-climate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonpote.com\/en\/10-facts-and-figures-about-airplanes-and-the-climate\/","title":{"rendered":"10 figures about aviation and the climate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While the fact that airplanes have a major impact on global warming is starting to gain ground, many preconceived ideas continue to circulate, putting their importance into perspective.<\/p>\n\n

It would only be “2% of emissions, whereas the Internet is 4%…”. Or it would be possible to make one long-haul flight a year without any real impact. Unfortunately, this is far from the case.<\/p>\n\n

Here are ten facts and figures about airplanes and the climate, to help you sort out the facts from the figures. <\/p>\n\n

1\/ Aviation account for 2.5% of global emissions, but 5% of global warming<\/h2>\n\n

We often read that aviation is responsible for only 2.5% of greenhouse gas emissions. <\/p>\n\n

In reality, this figure does not take into account non-CO2 effects. Today we know that non-CO2 effects account for between 1\/2 and 2\/3 of radiative forcing<\/a>, which means that the role of commercial aviation accounts for around 5% of global warming <\/strong>between 2000 and 2018<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

In other words, contrails, cirrus cloud formation and the release of water vapour and NOx at high altitudes have a positive effect on radiative forcing (i.e. a warming effect), as the IPCC pointed out in its latest report:<\/p>\n\n

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This phenomenon is explained in detail in this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

2\/ 1% of the world’s population accounts for 50% of aviation emissions<\/h2>\n\n

This is probably the most striking figure: 1% of the world’s population accounts for 50% of commercial aviation emissions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

If flying may seem normal to you, remember that it’s not for everyone. This quickly answers the argument that “air travel only accounts for 2.5% of CO2 emissions”. In relation to the world’s population, that’s gigantic<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

It’s also worth noting that, according to estimates, only 2% to 4% of the world’s population took an international flight in 2018. Flying, and flying far, is a habit for only a tiny minority of the world’s population.<\/p>\n\n

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3\/ 80% of the world’s population has never flown before<\/h2>\n\n

Every year, around 90% of the world’s population<\/a> does not fly. Historically, less than 80% of the world’s population<\/a> has never flown.<\/p>\n\n

According to Boeing’s CEO in 2017<\/a>, in a single year, 100 million Asians would be flying for the first time in their lives. The Asian market is currently driving growth in the sector. According to estimates by G\u00f6ssling & al (2020), this could represent a third today to almost half of all passengers by 2050.<\/p>\n\n

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Fig. 2. Distribution of revenue passenger kilometers by world region, 2018 and 2050.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4\/ Only 29% of French people fly at least once a year<\/h2>\n\n

Do the French fly more or less than the rest of the world? Once again, flying is not the norm. The majority of French people fly less than once a year. It’s even less than a third, according to an IFOP poll for the Fondation Jean Jaur\u00e8s<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

According to Ademe, by 2023, there will be a clear upward trend in the proportion of people who say they don’t fly for leisure… rising from 36% to 56% in the space of 5 years, to the detriment of other responses less favorable to this type of action.<\/p>\n\n

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Source: ADEME data compiled by Aur\u00e9lien Bigo<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5\/ Extravagant carbon footprint: 22 tonnes for the wealthiest 1% of EU households (air transport only!)<\/h2>\n\n

The majority of GHG emissions from the European Union’s main emitters are linked to transport, and air travel literally explodes the carbon footprint of the wealthiest households. <\/p>\n\n

Air travel accounts for a carbon footprint of 22.6 t CO2eq among the wealthiest 1% of EU households, representing around 41% of their total carbon footprint. We’re talking about greenhouse gas emissions just from flying! By way of comparison, this is more than 2 times the average carbon footprint of a French<\/a> person. <\/p>\n\n

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The unequal distribution of household carbon footprints in Europe and its link to sustainability. <\/em>Source : Ivanova & al (2020)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the same study, we learn that air transport is by far the most elastic consumption in the EU, with a spending elasticity of 1.5; this means that when total spending doubles, spending on air transport increases by 150%<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

This comes as no surprise, but confirms the work of Oswald & al. (2020<\/a> ): air transport is a carbon-intensive luxury.<\/p>\n\n

6\/ A single long-haul flight explodes the target annual carbon budget<\/h2>\n\n

This is the most important order of magnitude to remember. A long-haul flight is enough to explode your carbon footprint. A return flight from Paris to New York is equivalent to around 2 tonnes CO2eq, which is more than the target carbon budget per person for achieving carbon neutrality<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

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Infographic source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As we have seen, only 2% to 4% of the world’s population took an international flight in 2018. Like digital nomads<\/a>, if this practice were to be generalized to the entire population, it would be a disaster for the fight against climate change. An opportunity to reconsider your next vacation, or the love for your favorite influencer who travels back and forth to Dubai on weekends?<\/p>\n\n

7\/ The armed forces account for 8% of aviation emissions<\/h2>\n\n

The opacity of data on non-commercial flights makes it difficult to accurately estimate greenhouse gas emissions from military operations.<\/p>\n\n

For G\u00f6ssling & al. (2020), the current contribution of military flights to global aviation emissions is estimated at 8%.“This estimate is uncertain, but it underlines the importance of military flights in aviation emissions.<\/em>” The United States accounts for a significant share.<\/p>\n\n

The authors point out that, given the strong growth in commercial air transport over the last 20 years, the share of military operations in total fuel consumption can be expected to have fallen. <\/p>\n\n

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Credit: G\u00f6ssling & al.2020<\/em>The global scale, distribution and growth of aviation: Implications for climate change<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These estimates underline the importance of including all industries in the ecological transition. In a carbon-neutral world, where would the army fit in? <\/p>\n\n

8\/ A flight in a private jet emits on average 10x more greenhouse gases.<\/h2>\n\n

An exhaustive report was published by Transport & Environment<\/em><\/a> in 2021 and we can retain several key points about private jets:<\/p>\n\n