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Lifestyle: Getting ThereNow you've picked your vacation spot, how do you get there? Do you have to fly? Or do you have other choices such as a car, bus or train? Your destination, length of vacation, travel time, comfort, budget, ease of planning, and ability to view the scenery will influence your decision. Be sure to include the green factor too by asking yourself "how will my transportation choice affect the environment?" Cars and light trucks are the largest source of transportation-related GHG emissions. However, the importance of aviation activities should not be discounted. Air travel produces more than twice the GHG emissions per passenger-kilometre produced by other modes of inter-city travel. This is a serious concern because air travel is growing rapidly.5 Greenhouse gases represent one environmental component of travel and different methods of transportation produce different amounts of greenhouse gases. Flying has the greatest impact on the environment, followed by the RV, car, train, and lastly the bus. Did you know? Transport 2000Transport 2000 Canada is a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is research, public education and consumer advocacy. Transport 2000 promotes environmentally sound transportation solutions and gets actively involved in issues like public transportation, safety, accessibility, energy efficiency, protection of the environment, cooperation between different modes of transportation, and government regulation. By AirplaneThe good news about flying is that aircraft have become more fuel-efficient. Fuel burned per seat in today's planes is 70% less than that of early jets. The bad news is that more people are flying more as a result of higher personal incomes, cheaper flights, and increased demand to cover large distances quickly. Air travel is responsible for about 2% of total global emissions of CO2, releasing more than 600 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. By 2050, air travel is expected to contribute 10-17% of global greenhouse gas emissions.6 Did you know?Scientists have confirmed that contrails left by airplanes do indeed contribute to climate warming. The air traffic moratorium after the September 11th terrorist attacks enabled scientists to finally compare air traffic-laden skies with airplane-less skies. They found that without air traffic, there was a greater difference between daily highs and nightly lows. This is because contrails are primarily composed of ice crystals and as such they act to insulate the planet by reflecting incoming radiation from the sun and trapping outgoing infrared radiation. Source: Climate Effects of Contrails Confirmed, Scientific American, August 8, 2002 http://www.sciam.com end
Airplanes also emit water vapour, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur oxides and soot, and aircraft emissions alter the concentration of the atmospheric gases CO2, ozone and methane and spur the formation of condensation trails or contrails.7 Flying emits about 85 kg of greenhouse gas emissions per 100 kilometres traveled. 8 Offsetting Air Travel ImpactsNew improvements in aircraft and engine technology efficiency will not be enough to fully offset predicted increases in global air emissions. Countries also need to think about various policy options to help them reduce emissions; these could include:
Many of these innovations are happening now. Forward-thinking travel companies have already developed carbon offsets projects that invest a percentage of your airline ticket into energy-saving projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The United Kingdom is mitigating air travel impacts by investing in sectors like information technology, electronic communication, as well as rail and water transport for short distances. And The Netherlands is placing a premium on air travel that is collected and then put towards environmental projects.9 To visit some websites that let you calculate total GHG emissions from your airplane flight and identify some ways to offset those impacts, type "Greenhouse gas travel offset" into your Internet search engine and follow the links. Did you know?International aircraft emissions were not included in the Kyoto Protocol due to difficulties in allocating responsibility between countries. And unlike motor fuels, aviation fuel is tax-free on international flights. endBy CarDriving your personal vehicle or a rental car to your travel destination may weigh in as your optimal transportation choice. If so, here are some quick tips to make your trip greener. Driving Checklist
Did you know? Are we there yet?The personal car may seem to offer the greatest freedoms – you can stop, stretch, and eat when you want and listen to your favorite music. But driving can be tiring. Why not take the bus or train as a relaxing alternative? There are no maps to read, no wrong turns, and no fighting off heavy eyelids. By Rail
By BusBus travel can take you to places that airplanes and trains often don't go with fewer greenhouse gas emissions. An inter-city bus trip produces 0.041 kilograms of CO2-equivalent per passenger-kilometre compared to 0.101 kg for an inter-city car trip and 0.214 kg for a plane.10 Depending on the length of your trip and type of bus, comfort, may or may not be an issue. Like trains, buses a relaxing view and a less stressful trip. Bus information in Alberta, Canada and the US is available online from these companies:
Greyhound Canada
5. Source: Pembina Institute. |
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Train travel offers comfort, service and fewer emissions than planes, but about the same as a private car, assuming most of the travel is on the highway. Trains are generally faster than coach buses and the views from the
large windows are fantastic. You must book well in advance for trains. | Copyright © 2003-2010 The Pembina Foundation. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Contact Us |