In 2018, over one billion people were on at least one flight. All those flights combined equal approximately 10.59 billion miles flown per year. This may seem like a lot, but the environmental effects of all these flights combined is even more drastic. When freshman Arturo Diaz de la Torre was asked about what affects he thinks planes have on the environment, he responded, “I bet pretty poorly, but nowhere near as much as cars.” He is correct that they have quite a negative impact on the environment. However, Diaz de la Torre was actually wrong about planes having a lesser impact on the environment. It turns out that one flight across the United States releases about twenty percent of the carbon dioxide that is released by the average car driver. According to industry group IATA, air transport accounted for 10,585 million miles flown, making up two percent of global man-made carbon dioxide emissions. This is equal to around 859 million tonnes (nine hundred forty-seven tons) of carbon dioxide. Sophomore Eliana Nestlerode found this information to be “Upsetting, but not shocking.”

In more recent years, airlines have been under increasing pressure to take urgent action to negate the problematic effects that come from planes, as there is rising global awareness about the climate crisis. That awareness proposes even greater risks to their business, and the problems with airlines have been known for a while now. A group of major airlines including British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus, has promised that it will remove or offset all carbon emissions from its fleet of over 570 aircrafts by the year 2050. On October 3rd, the International Airlines Group pledged to replace all older aircrafts, invest in sustainable jet fuels, and attempt to develop aviation technology that helps remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A ship in the British Airways fleet called the Flagship Carrier will also offset most of its carbon emissions produced by its domestic flights. This ship will be in flight starting sometime next year after investing in solar energy products and planting trees in continents like South America, Africa, and Asia.

Swedish sixteen-year-old and environmentalist Greta Thunberg has been using her platform on social media to bring awareness to the climate crisis. Recently, she created a hashtag that in her native Sweden that translates to “flight shame.” Thundenberg stands by her words. Last year when she traveled to Davos, Switzerland, to confront CEOs and global leaders, she went by train, and her recent trip to visit with the United Nations in New York was by boat. According to other environmentalists, global aviation emissions are rising fast, and if the industry were a country, it would rank among the top ten carbon dioxide emitters. The problem is not just carbon dioxide, as aircrafts also emit nitrogen oxides, which contribute to global warming.

A group called the Extinction Rebellion, has also been very open with their distaste for aerial transportation. Earlier in October, an activist delayed a flight from London’s City Airport by delivering a lecture on the climate crisis just before departure as a part of an Extinction Rebellion protest. The negative focus on aviation has helped lead the industry to take more responsibility. Seven aircraft manufacturers, including Boeing and Airbus, announced in late June that many of their chief technology officers would be collaborating at an “unprecedented level” to help the airplane industry control its greenhouse gas emissions. They are not the only airlines taking responsibility for their carbon footprint. Recently, European airlines have been at the vanguard and the  Dutch airline K.L.M. has gone as far as to encourage customers to take trains or do video calls (for meetings) instead of flying, when possible.

One of the most active corporations focused on lessening the effects of climate change is the International Airlines Group. On Oct 3, the International Airlines Group stated it would reach its carbon goals by investing around 400 million dollars over the next two decades in sustainable aviation fuel. One specific project in Britain even aims to convert household trash to jet fuel starting in 2024. The company has also committed itself to replacing all older planes over the next five years with 142 new aircraft costing over 27 billion dollars at its basic list prices. These new planes will be up to 25 more efficient than the models they replace. The International Airlines Group will also be partnering with an American company called Mosaic Materials, which has created an absorbent material to remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere.

Despite all the positive impacts many airlines and corporations are trying to make senior Venessa Delombaerde when asked if she thinks that these changes were being made soon enough she replied “Definitely not, it should’ve been done a while ago. But I guess later is better than never.”  She’ is not the only person with doubt junior Ethan David thinks that all of the new solutions airlines are coming up with are “good for them. However, I am highly suspicious of how realistic their ideas are.”