Now, track the carbon footprint of your flights
21 Jun 2008
Montreal, Canada: The International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, a United Nations organisation, has unveiled a carbon calculation tool on its website that allows travelers to estimate the carbon footprint for any flight they take.
A carbon footprint measures the impact of human activities on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced. The impact is measured in units of carbon dioxide.
As an example, a passenger, flying economy class from New York's John F. Kennedy International airport to Washington, DC, a distance of 212 miles, generates about 0.08 tons of carbon dioxide. The same passenger, flying economy class from JFK International airport to Los Angeles, a distance of 2,466 miles, generates about 0.36 tons of carbon dioxide.
The advantage of this facility is that once a traveller knows how much carbon dioxide is produced for a given flight, then that traveller can purchase offsets, such as funding renewable energy or planting trees. Prices for offsets vary widely depending on the projects funded from about $4 per metric ton to $99 per metric ton.
The carbon calculator takes into account such variables as aircraft type, route data, passenger load and the amount of cargo. According to ICAO Council president, Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez, the calculator will improve as a tool as more technical and operational information becomes available.
"The carbon calculator responds to the wish of many travellers for a reliable and authoritative method to estimate the carbon footprint of a flight, so they can choose the programme best suited to offset the impact of their trips on climate change according to the amount of carbon dioxide they are responsible for," Kobeh said.
The tool was introduced mid-week by the Montreal-based ICAO as part of efforts to support the UN Climate Neutral Initiative, which calls for all parts of the UN system to determine their total carbon emissions.
The new carbon calculator is being backed by the UN World Tourism Organization.
The International Air Transport Association is also recommending the methodology used in the carbon calculator to its member airlines for use in their carbon-offsetting programs, in part to achieve a more consistent approach to estimating the carbon footprint of flights.
Carbon markets are designed to combat climate change by putting a price on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Companies can trade the right to emit these gases through permits, credits, or allowances.
