Flying vs Driving: Carpooling Generates Fewest Greenhouse Gases Per Passenger
What this also means, of course, is that while even driving alone would be slightly better from the standpoint of greenhouse-gas emissions, carpooling really makes environmental sense. Four people sharing a car would collectively be responsible for emitting only 104 kilograms of CO2, while the same four people taking up four seats on a plane would generate some 736 kilograms of carbon dioxide.
Flying vs Driving: Cross-Country Calculations Show Stark Contrasts
Journalist Pablo Päster of Salon.com extends the comparison further, to a cross-country trip, and comes to similar conclusions. (Differences in the math are attributable to the use of slightly varying assumptions regarding fuel usage and source equations.) Flying from San Francisco to Boston, for example, would generate some 1,300 kilograms of greenhouse gases per passenger each way, while driving would account for only 930 kilograms per vehicle. So, again, sharing the drive with one or more people would lower each individual’s carbon footprint from the experience accordingly.
Flying vs Driving: Air Travel Most Economical for Long Distances
But just because driving might be greener than flying doesn’t mean it always makes the most sense. With current high gas prices, it would cost far more in fuel to drive clear across the United States in a car than to fly nonstop coast-to-coast. And that’s not even factoring in the time spent on restaurants and hotels along the way. Those interested in figuring out driving fuel costs can consult AAA’s nifty online Fuel Cost Calculator, where you can enter your starting city and destination as well as the year, make and model of your car to get an accurate estimate of what it will cost to “fill ‘er up” between points A and B.
Flying vs Driving: Carbon Offsets Can Balance Travel-Related Emissions
Once you’ve made your decision whether to drive or fly, consider purchasing carbon offsets to balance out the emissions you are generating with cash for renewable energy development. TerraPass, among others, makes it easy to calculate your carbon footprint based on how much you drive and fly (as well as home energy consumption), and then will sell you offsets accordingly. (Monies generated through carbon offsets fund alternative energy and other projects, such as wind farms, that will ultimately take a bite out of or eliminate greenhouse-gas emissions).
Flying vs Driving: Public Transportation Beats Both Car and Air Travel
Of course, an individual’s emissions from riding a bus (the ultimate carpool) or a train would be significantly lower. Paster adds that a cross-country train trip would generate about half the greenhouse-gas emissions of driving a car. The only way to travel greener might be to bicycle or walk—but the trip is long enough as it is
So what I get from this article is that in a lot of cases driving is better, which to me is suprising. But my question is, are scientists doing anything to imporove flights and fuels for flights? And whats your opion? I feel like sooner or later we will be driving much more than driving and if thats the case than people also need to think about different flying fuel solutions.
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ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting thing that Stephen said about finding alternate jet fuel. You usually don't hear too much about that. But if for the most part driving is actually better for the enviroment they flying is, I think that is something that people should be looking more into.
ReplyDeleteThats actually surprising to me. I always though air travel would be more enviro friendly and safer...I never thought about it by comparing the emissions of a plane to a car and the passengers. Maybe I should have thought about this before I fly out to colorado...haha.
ReplyDeleteI think all in all theyu are all prety equal. Basically every way we travel will have some sort of effect on the enviroment
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