Beyond private jets and cruise ships: The problem with aviation and shipping emissions

Our episode today is about aviation and shipping emissions. Aviation emissions have become a hot topic recently, thanks to the revelation that celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Taylor Swift have been using their private jets even for short trips – apparently as short as a three minute flight! This has caused some uproar, especially as climate researchers and activists have been pushing for a reduction of emissions in the aviation sector. Over the years, with cheaper tickets available to the public for air travel, aviation emissions have skyrocketed. According to data from Oxford University, flying accounts for 2.5% of the world’s emissions. The UK Research Institute released a study that shows aviation could consume ⅙ of the remaining temperature budget to limit warming to 1.5C. Similarly, the shipping industry is responsible for around 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually, which is at least 2.5% of the world’s total CO2 emissions. Why is aviation and shipping problematic and what solutions can we implement to solve this problem? 

Our guest are James and Asha, post-doc researchers at the University of Manchester whose research focus is on aviation and shipping. 

(Royalty Free Music by Benjamin Tissot)