Private aviation is making a growing contribution to climate change
From Transport Knowledge Wiki
 Journal article record
|
| Title
|
Private aviation is making a growing contribution to climate change
|
| Journal
|
 Communications Earth and Environment vol. 5 no. 666
|
| Abstract
|
Commercial aviation’s contribution to climate change is growing, but the global role of private aviation is not well quantified. Here we calculate the sector’s CO2 emissions, using flight tracker data from the ADS-B Exchange platform for the period 2019 to 2023. Flight times for 25,993 private aircraft and 18,655,789 individual flights in 2019-2023 are linked to 72 aircraft models and their average fuel consumption. We find that private aviation contributed at least 15.6 Mt CO2 in direct emissions in 2023, or about 3.6 t CO2 per flight. Almost half of all flights (47.4%) are shorter than 500 km. Private aviation is concentrated in the USA, where 68.7% of the aircraft are registered. Flight pattern analysis confirms extensive travel for leisure purposes, and for cultural and political events. Emissions increased by 46% between 2019-2023, with industry expectations of continued strong growth. Regulation is needed to address the sector’s growing climate impact.
|
| Authors
|
 Stefan Gössling Andreas Humpe Jorge Cardoso Leitão
|
| Date
|
 November 2024
|
| Keywords and locations
|
| Keywords
|
 Aviation Emissions Greenhouse gases
|
| Locations
|
 Worldwide
|
| How to find and cite this journal article
|
| Publication
|
 10.1038/s43247-024-01775-z
|
| Access
|
This journal article is open access and can be read for free as of 20 February 2025.
|
| Citation
|
Gössling, S., Humpe, A. & Leitão, J.C. Private aviation is making a growing contribution to climate change. Commun Earth Environ 5, 666 (2024).
|
This is a page on Transport Knowledge Wiki
