I was incredibly surprised by how much carbon I was emitting by taking airplane flights. I emitted approximately 7,046 kgs of carbon dioxide from the transportation category alone. For reference, the average person from my region (Bay Area, California) only emitted 2,557 kgs. I looked into what could have caused this and found out that on average, 90 kgs of CO2 is emitted per passenger per hour. By flying to places like Hawaii and the East Coast, I personally emitted around 3,500 extra kilograms of CO2.

Immediately I thought of a potential solution: to travel less and for shorter distances. But
when I looked into whether or not short flights were more carbon efficient than long-distance flights, I was proven wrong. I assumed they would be, as I thought less distance meant less carbon emitted. But I discovered that short-distance flights were some of the leading causes of global warming. Short-haul flights emit significantly more CO2 per passenger than long-haul flights. This is due to the fact that takeoff and landing require much more fuel than cruising because of the force needed to accelerate and slow down.

So the solution to emitting so much CO2 from airplane travel is simply taking fewer flights. If the distance is short enough, I should just drive instead of opting for faster, easier airplane flights. And if I really want to fly, I shouldn't fly short distances or flights with layovers.

https://www.carbonindependent.org/22.ht … per%20hour.
https://www.robeco.com/en-int/insights/ … ers-for-co