Traffic, pollution... What you need to know about flying in 2025
With one takeoff worldwide every second, air travel remains one of the most popular and polluting forms of transportation. Here's an overview of the state of the industry and its future as we strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Every second, a plane takes off somewhere in the world. This is good news for airlines, but not so much for the climate. These flights are becoming more and more numerous, use highly polluting fuel , and green aircraft are not on the horizon.
Air traffic is skyrocketing as the Covid crisis slows down. With nearly 4.9 billion passengers in 2024, an all-time record has been reached. By 2043, the number of passengers carried could even double. More planes in the sky also means more kerosene burned, and kerosene is a major polluter. A round trip from Paris to New York, for example, emits around 1.7 tons of CO2. In a single trip, this represents 19% of a French person's annual emissions, not including the aircraft's condensation trails.
We'll have to be patient for greener aircraft. Alternatives are still too expensive and insufficient. Decades of development are still needed.
Watch the full report in the video above
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