The Low Down on (Green) Air Travel

By Kimberly_Keilbach on September 30, 2009 1 Comment air travel, airplanes, American, bio-fuels, carbon dioxide, carbon offsets, cars, circling in the air, Climate Trust, CO2, Continental, Delta, e-Blue Horizons, eco-efficient cabin design, eco-friendly, efficient air traffic controlling practices, energy consumption, environment, Fly Your Ideas, flying in V formation, Fuel Cells, fuel efficient, GHG, global carbon dioxide emissions, global GDP, global transport emissions, greenhouse gas, Horizon, idling, Jet Blue, methane, Native Energy, nitrogen oxides, Northwest, Planet Green, radiative forcing, solar power, Southwest, Sustainable Travel International, TerraPass, trains, United, US Airways, Virgin, World Intellectual Property Organization

It’s no secret that air travel is hard on the environment; but it’s also one of the key ingredients to a robust global economy. The World Intellectual Property Organization says that air travel accounts for 35 percent of goods traded internationally (by value) and over 40 percent of international tourism. On the upside, aviation generates 5.5 million jobs and contributes over $400 billion to global GDP. On the downside, aviation also accounts for roughly 13 percent of global transport emissions and 2 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.