Frequent-fliers represent 1% of world’s population but cause half of aviation’s carbon emissions
Frequent fliers who represent just 1% of the world’s population account for more than half of the total emissions from passenger air travel, according to a new study. The study looked at flights in 2018 and found that just 11% of the world's population travelled by air, and only 4% took international flights, contributing a billion tonnes of CO2. In the UK, 59% of the adult population does not fly, and 20% of frequent fliers produced 60% of 2018 emissions. The study, conducted by Sweden’s Linnaeus University and published in the journal Global Environmental Change, will give support to calls for governments to impose frequent flier levies to help keep emissions down. A frequent flier levy was one of the key recommendations that came out of the Climate Assembly, a representative group of members of the public asked by parliament to discuss how the UK should meet its legally-binding net zero commitments. That came after a report from the Government’s climate change advisers last year recommended a frequent flier levy and scrapping airline reward programmes. Andrew Murphy, the aviation analyst at international NGO Transport and Environment, said the results of the study raised questions over the benefits of expanding airport capacity, especially in the wake of Covid-19. “We have to ask who is this serving? We now know it’s not the one family who are going on their annual holiday to Spain, it’s the elite who are hopping on a plane every other week and taking multiple holidays a year in between business trips,” he said. “They've been huge beneficiaries of Government policies that have left emissions untaxed and unregulated.” <br/>
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Frequent-fliers represent 1% of world’s population but cause half of aviation’s carbon emissions
Frequent fliers who represent just 1% of the world’s population account for more than half of the total emissions from passenger air travel, according to a new study. The study looked at flights in 2018 and found that just 11% of the world's population travelled by air, and only 4% took international flights, contributing a billion tonnes of CO2. In the UK, 59% of the adult population does not fly, and 20% of frequent fliers produced 60% of 2018 emissions. The study, conducted by Sweden’s Linnaeus University and published in the journal Global Environmental Change, will give support to calls for governments to impose frequent flier levies to help keep emissions down. A frequent flier levy was one of the key recommendations that came out of the Climate Assembly, a representative group of members of the public asked by parliament to discuss how the UK should meet its legally-binding net zero commitments. That came after a report from the Government’s climate change advisers last year recommended a frequent flier levy and scrapping airline reward programmes. Andrew Murphy, the aviation analyst at international NGO Transport and Environment, said the results of the study raised questions over the benefits of expanding airport capacity, especially in the wake of Covid-19. “We have to ask who is this serving? We now know it’s not the one family who are going on their annual holiday to Spain, it’s the elite who are hopping on a plane every other week and taking multiple holidays a year in between business trips,” he said. “They've been huge beneficiaries of Government policies that have left emissions untaxed and unregulated.” <br/>
