Flying is becoming ever easier and cheaper, so people are doing it more and more often. As positive as that may be, it is anything but good for the environment. Not all, however, is lost.
Not even a vegetarian who cycles to work is a perfect environmentalist. Or at least, not if they take a plane in the summer: flying, in fact, is about the most polluting thing a person can do. "At the individual level, there is no other human activity that emits so many emissions in a limited period of time as aviation," explains Stefan Gössling, author of the book Climate change and aviation: issues, challenges and solutions. This is confirmed by the Wwf, which has made available a tool with which each of us can calculate our own environmental impact – seeing is believing.
In 2017, 4.1 billion people took a flight – 7.1 per cent more than in 2016, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao). If by 2035 this figure is expected to rise to 7.2 billion, we are certainly on track: "On 13 July 2018, the flight record was broken, with as many as 205,468 recorded between 00:00 and 24:00. And according to forecasts, that number is set to be surpassed again shortly," explains Lorenzo Badellino of 3Bmeteo.com.
If in a small country like Italy travelling by plane is not always strictly necessary, consider the United States, where distances are considerably greater and people often have to undertake long journeys to spend Christmas with their parents or to get home from college during the holidays. According to the New York Times, simply flying from New York to San Francisco generates 20 per cent of the greenhouse gases emitted by one's car in an entire year. On average, a plane produces just over 24 kilograms of CO2 per mile (approximately 1.6 kilometres). In addition to carbon dioxide, unfortunately, there are other factors that contribute to global warming, such as the emission of nitrogen oxides, contrails and the alteration of cloud structure.
While a gigantic hub is being built in Istanbul with the capacity for 3,500 take-offs and landings a day, Sweden has introduced a tax on flights to cut emissions and more and more airports are committing to reducing their environmental impact. In 2016, 191 countries signed the United Nations agreement aimed at reducing pollution generated by the sector. So not all is lost.
We too can play our part; the New York Times has drawn up a list of tips to follow. For instance, it is best to fly only over long distances: for shorter ones it is preferable to opt for the car, even better if it is electric. Direct flights are to be favoured, because the take-off and landing phases not only consume fuel but are highly polluting. Another good idea is to purchase carbon credits to offset the emissions produced during the journey: in this way it is possible, for example, to contribute to the creation or protection of forests.
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"The growth of air traffic is making a major contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, offering the opportunity to lift a generation out of poverty, both metaphorically and literally," recalls Icao Secretary General Fang Liu. Let us try not to be seized by the urge to book plane tickets and give preference to travel by train, by bicycle, on foot, on horseback. But let us not forget that moving around is in human nature, that knowing other cultures is indispensable to growth, that seeing the world is a desire to be fulfilled.
