Should we be Flying?

Reason for Hope

A coalition of environmental groups is suing to block oil and gas auction in Gulf of Mexico.

The auction covers an area ~ 70 million acres in size and is currently scheduled for the end of March.

Environmental groups are arguing the government failed to adequately consider the auction’s impact on endangered species as well as the harm onshore refining will have on vulnerable communities.

The auction is being driven by a concession included in the Inflation Redcution Act needed to get it passed.

In related news, the U.S. Interior Department has said it will delay the release of its five-year drilling plan until December.

Sources

Environmentalists sue to stop Gulf of Mexico oil and gas auction | Reuters

Biden delays five-year offshore leasing plan, sparking Manchin pushback - The Washington Post

‍

Main Topic

1% of population is responsible for 50% of aviation emissions.

A roundtrip flight from New York to London generates roughly 1.5 Metric tons of CO2e.

Cost of direct air capture of CO2 could be $200-300 per ton by 2030.

France is moving to ban domestic flights where there are rail alternatives.

Sources

Carbon footprint of travel per kilometer, 2018 (ourworldindata.org)

Per capita CO₂ emissions, 2021 (ourworldindata.org)

The Future of Rail – Analysis - IEA

1% of people cause half of global aviation emissions – study | Airline industry | The Guardian

Cost of capturing CO2 from air to drop to $250-$300/mtCO2e end-decade: Climeworks | S&P Global Commodity Insights (spglobal.com)

The six problems aviation must fix to hit net zero | Airline emissions | The Guardian