Currently, airline flights account for around 2.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions, but, as the industry bounces back from the Covid pandemic, it has hopes of expanding. Because planes fly in the upper atmosphere, the greenhouse gases they emit do more damage than those released on the ground. New technologies like biofuels and electric planes are being developed which could reduce flying’s environmental impact. But they’re a huge investment and will need years of safety testing, so they will not reduce fossil-fuel reliance any time soon. In the meantime, airlines are trying to increase fuel efficiency by reducing weight, carrying more passengers, using tailwinds and reducing distances through air traffic control. But you can personally make a difference by limiting your air travel in significant ways:

*    Seriously consider if you even need to travel by air: Could you take a train or bus instead? Or drive your hybrid or electric car for short trips? Or not take the trip at all, perhaps planning a vacation closer to home. This can massively reduce the amount of carbon that your travel produces.

*    Reduce your short-haul flights: Short-haul flights under 400 miles are comparatively the worst polluters because it takes a lot of energy to get the plane airborne and to land. Always plan to use other forms of transportation for shorter distances. Consider trains, busses, or cars instead.

*     Choose a non-stop flight and fly economy: The flight you choose can also have an impact. Because take-off and landing produce the largest amount of emissions, it’s better to fly direct non-stop rather than with stopovers. Additionally, flying economy, particularly with airlines that do not even offer first-class. also reduces your individual climate impact, because the total carbon emissions are spread out over a larger number of people.

*    Let the airlines know that you are making travel decisions based on their carbon emissions impact: Airlines care about their bottom line. If they hear from enough customers who are changing their travel plans based on the carbon emissions from flights, airlines will accelerate their plans to become far more carbon-free. Email their customer relations departments and let them know that these issues are very important to you. You can find the phone number of any U.S. airline customer service department by using the link below.
FIND CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBERS [Airlines]

If you find it necessary to fly, you can easily offset the carbon that your airline trip produces by purchasing carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are voluntary programs through which people can pay to ‘offset’  the emissions that their flights produce. Carbon offsetting doesn’t get rid of the carbon dioxide which is produced when you fly. What it does do is try and make up for your share of the CO2 which gets released–by reducing CO2 somewhere else instead, which will prevent an overall global increase in carbon dioxide levels.
This is usually based on measuring how many tons of CO2 are produced by each flight and investing in a project which reduces CO2 levels by the same amount.  Beginning in 2021, all airlines that fly internationally will be required to offset their own emissions under a UN Agreement [called the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, agreed to in Montreal, Canada in 2018]. Thus, US citizens need only consider carbon offsets for their domestic air travel.

There are generally two main types of offset projects. First forestry projects, which either stop existing trees being cut down or plant new ones. The trees act as a ‘biological sink’ by taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. And second, energy projects, which reduce the amount of fossil fuels used by investing in energy-efficient products or renewable technology. Either type of offset program helps reduce the total amount of carbon emissions. [To reach the links below, click on the blue type.]

If you use Google Flights to search for airline tickets, Google has recently added a listing for the amount of emissions for each passenger on each flight [noted in kilograms of CO2]. You can use this to determine the amount of a carbon offset that you would need to purchase to offset your flight’s carbon emissions.
GOOGLE FLIGHTS

Additionally, you can calculate your own airline travel carbon impact using the any of the following emissions calculators:
UNITED NATIONS AIR TRAVEL CARBON FOOTPRINT CALCULATOR

AIR TRAVEL CARBON FOOTPRINT CALCULATOR

Or you can sign up directly with any of the following carbon offset programs to neutralize the carbon emissions of your air travel:

*    Sustainable Travel International operates one the best air travel offset programs, supporting wind farms, tree planting, and sustainable agriculture programs around the world:
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL AIR TRAVEL OFFSET PROGRAM

*    International non-profit organization MyClimate hosts a carbon offset program for various types of carbon impacts. Their offset programs fund over 140 climate projects around the world. Here is the link to their offset program for air travel:
MY CLIMATE CARBON OFFSET PROGAM FOR AIR TRAVEL

* CLEAR  provides an excellent program for offsetting the emissions from your air travel by funding numerous innovative international clean energy and deforestation projects. Their program is OAS-certified, which is only awarded to carbon offsets that are independently audited to the highest standards every year.
CLEAR AIR TRAVEL OFFSET PROGRAM