Amazing, hope you find more articles you love! Thanks for subscribing, Aakansha.

Hi Sarine. Direct flights are definitely better if it’s possible. Landing and taking off burn the most fuel.

Or simply stop eating beef.

Charlie, you make some excellent points in your post. You also mention that a passenger flying economy on a low cost carrier emit a fraction of the carbon of a passenger in First Class.
I’d just like to add a few points of information.
The 2% figure for aviation CO2 emissions does not take into account radiative forcing. This is a complex subject but basically the IPCC use a multiplication factor of 2.7 for aircraft emissions at altitude compared to ground based emissions.
The article you link to about carbon offsetting is well worth reading carefully and perhaps following the links from that page. I’d also recommend watching “The Carbon Crooks” film if you get the chance. It is often shown on LinkTV.org. In 2009 ResponsibleTravel.com made the decision to stop offering carbon offsets, calling them a ‘dangerous distraction’. From personal experience ruling out carbon offsetting to salve my conscience made me much more aware of my emissions and lead me to stop flying except for emergencies.
A final point is that the airline industry is planning to expand expecting massive demand from the BRIC countries, yet I have not seen a convincing plan showing where the fuel is to come from.
Thank you for writing this article. I hope it encourages readers to research further.
I’ll end wit a reminder that reducing flying is the single biggest hitting action any frequent flyer can take to massively reduce their carbon emissions.

Thanks Nicholas, good shout!