Aviation emissions – articles from the Conversation website
The Conversation website is a platform for academics and researchers to share their knowledge and scientific expertise and research in a readily accessible and readable format. A selection of articles on tackling aviation emissions and aviation climate impact are listed below:
- February 17, 2020 – Major airlines say they’re acting on climate change. Our research reveals how little they’ve achieved – Susanne Becken, Griffith University
We analysed what the world’s top 58 airlines – such as American Airlines, British Airways and Qantas – are doing about climate change. Even the best airlines are not doing anywhere near enough. - February 15, 2020 – Plane, train, or automobile? The climate impact of transport is surprisingly complicated – Laurie Wright, Solent University
All modes of high-speed travel come with a cost to the environment. - February 14, 2020 – Climate change means longer take-offs and fewer passengers per aeroplane – new study – Guy Gratton, Cranfield University and Paul D Williams, University of Reading
Weaker winds and higher temperatures are making airlines less efficient. - February 5, 2020 – People hate flight shame – but not enough to quit flying – Roger Tyers, University of Southampton
Carbon offsetting and new airplanes won’t keep up with emissions from an ever-expanding aviation industry. - January 23, 2020 – Could sleeper trains replace international air travel? – Enrica Papa, University of Westminster
Since 2019, night train networks have seen a remarkable revival across Europe. - January 15, 2020 – Flight shame won’t fix airline emissions. We need a smarter solution – Duygu Yengin, University of Adelaide and Tracey Dodd, University of Adelaide
“Fake news”, the chief executive of Lufthansa has called it. But his counterpart at Air France calls it the airline industry’s “biggest challenge”. So does the president of Emirates: “It’s got to be dealt… - October 22, 2019 – These celebrities cause 10,000 times more carbon emissions from flying than the average person
Stefan Gössling, Lund University. The vast emissions caused by these individuals suggest that a very small share of humanity has a very significant role in global warming. - December 13, 2019 – Transport emissions have doubled in 40 years – expand railways to get them on track – Stephen Joseph, University of Hertfordshire
Electric trains use seven times less carbon dioxide than cars. With careful planning, railways could drastically cut emissions from a sector that now accounts for a quarter of the carbon in our air. - November 27, 2019 – Climate explained: how much does flying contribute to climate change? – Shaun Hendy
Globally, emissions from air travel account for only about 3% of the warming human activities are causing, but aviation affects our climate in a number of ways. - November 23, 2019 – We can’t expand airports after declaring a climate emergency – let’s shift to low-carbon transport instead – Jefim Vogel, University of Leeds; Joel Millward-Hopkins, University of Leeds, and Yannick Oswald, University of Leeds
Turning from the conflict of airport expansions to a vision of a low-carbon transport system. - November 6, 2019 – Electric planes are here – but they won’t solve flying’s CO₂ problem – Duncan Walker, Loughborough University
Small regional flights will soon start going electric but batteries are unlikely to ever fully power large airliners. - October 31, 2019 – Flight shame: flying less plays a small but positive part in tackling climate change – Jan Ditzen, Heriot-Watt University and Erkal Ersoy, Heriot-Watt University
As the notion of flight shame is taking off around the world, emissions from aviation are making a small but growing contribution to global warming. - September 20, 2019 – Climate explained: why don’t we have electric aircraft? Dries Verstraete, University of Sydney
- September 4, 2019 – Universities need to rein in academic air travel and greenhouse gases, Julie Talbot, Université de Montréal and Julien Arsenault, Université de Montréal
- August 23, 2019 – Travel the world without destroying it – Imagine newsletter #5, Jack Marley, The Conversation
- July 29, 2019 – We can’t expand airports after declaring a climate emergency – let’s shift to low-carbon transport instead – Jefim Vogel, PhD Researcher in Ecological Economics, University of Leeds; Joel Millward-Hopkins, Postdoctoral Researcher in Sustainability, University of Leeds; Yannick Oswald, PhD Researcher in Ecological Economics, University of Leeds.
- July 22, 2019 – Climate change and air travel: why we have a responsibility to countries dependent on tourism
Tom Baum, University of Strathclyde
Reducing air travel may have a positive effect on climate change but it will inevitably damage developing countries that rely on tourism for their chances of prosperity. - July 9, 2019 – University sector must tackle air travel emissions
Milena Buchs, University of Leeds
Universities play a significant role in the high and rising air travel footprint – and they need to do more about it. - May 28, 2019 – Rising seas threaten Australia’s major airports – and it may be happening faster than we think, Thomas Mortlock, Macquarie University; Andrew Gissing, Macquarie University; Ian Goodwin, Macquarie University, and Mingzhu Wang
- April 24, 2019 – Get set for take-off in electric aircraft, the next transport disruption. Jake Whitehead, The University of Queensland and Michael Kane, Curtin University
- April 12, 2019 – Climate change: yes, your individual action does make a difference – Steve Westlake, PhD Researcher in Environmental Leadership, Cardiff University
- February 14, 2019 – Researchers, set an example: fly less – Xavier Anglaret, Université de Bordeaux; Chris Wymant, University of Oxford, and Kévin Jean, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM)
- January 8, 2019 – Businesses think they’re on top of carbon risk, but tourism destinations have barely a clue – Susanne Becken, Griffith University
- November 27, 2018 – Why aren’t there electric airplanes yet? – Venkat Viswanathan, Carnegie Mellon University; Shashank Sripad, Carnegie Mellon University, and William Leif Fredericks, Carnegie Mellon University
- July 4, 2018 – Why our carbon emission policies don’t work on air travel – Francis Markham, Australian National University; Arianne C. Reis, Western Sydney University; James Higham, and Martin Young, Southern Cross University
- December 15, 2017 – Flying home for Christmas? Carbon offsets are important, but they won’t fix plane pollution – Susanne Becken, Griffith University and Brendan Mackey, Griffith University
- August 3, 2017 – How hot weather – and climate change – affect airline flights – Ethan Coffel, Columbia University and Radley Horton, Columbia University
- February 27, 2017 – Flight to greener aviation fuel has hit turbulence – here’s why – Simon Blakey, University of Sheffield
- January 12, 2017 – Life in a post-flying Australia, and why it might actually be ok – Martin Young, Southern Cross University; Francis Markham, Australian National University; James Higham, and John Jenkins, Southern Cross University
- January 11, 2017 – It’s time to wake up to the devastating impact flying has on the environment – Roger Tyers, University of Southampton
- December 14, 2016 – Perth to London non-stop: great for travellers, but little help for emissions – Rebecca Johnston, University of Western Australia
- October 11, 2016 – The new UN deal on aviation emissions leaves much to be desired – David Hodgkinson, University of Western Australia and Rebecca Johnston, University of Western Australia
- September 26, 2016 – Are we finally about to get a global agreement on aviation emissions? – David Hodgkinson, University of Western Australia and Rebecca Johnston, University of Western Australia
- April 5, 2016 – Airline emissions and the case for a carbon tax on flight tickets – David Hodgkinson, University of Western Australia and Rebecca Johnston, University of Western Australia
- March 11, 2016 – Aviation emissions are rising – and industry solutions are just technological myths – Paul Peeters, NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences; James Higham; Scott Cohen, University of Surrey, and Stefan Gössling, Western Norway Research Institute
- February 11, 2016 – The planned aviation emissions rules will just delay the heavy lifting until later – David Hodgkinson, University of Western Australia and Rebecca Johnston, University of Western Australia
- December 4, 2015 – Discussing the ‘success’ of limiting aviation emissions is just hot air – David Hodgkinson, University of Western Australia
- November 12, 2015 – Aviation has an emissions problem, and COP 21 won’t solve it – David Hodgkinson, University of Western Australia
- January 14, 2015 – It’s time for a global tax on aviation emissions – Rebecca Johnston, University of Notre Dame Australia and David Hodgkinson, University of Western Australia
- October 24, 2014 – Can you be a sustainable tourist without giving up flying?
Morgan Saletta, University of Melbourne
Australians love to travel. About 9 million Australians travelled overseas last year, 60% of them on holiday. For most tourists, sustainable development and climate change were probably not high on their… - August 15, 2014 – Political taboos leave politicians unwilling to take steps to cut transport emissions – Scott Cohen, University of Surrey
