Earth Equity News

Low-Cost Airfares in Europe Make for Big-Time Carbon Footprint. Elisabeth Rosenthal, IHT, June 2, 2008. "The arrival of low-cost airlines across Europe has created an explosion of new resorts in places like Murcia [Spain], catering to budget tourists. But at a time when airlines are already the fastest-growing component of carbon dioxide emissions, tourism -- particularly low-cost tourism -- is rapidly laying down infrastructure that will almost certainly ensure a dangerous high carbon future. 'Low-cost carriers are growing at 9% a year and from an environmental point of view that is a problem, said Christian Brand [of] Oxford University who studies transportation emissions… There is a staggering environmental cost for this flying around: Two people flying round-trip from Leeds [England] to Murcia generate about 1,400,000 grams of CO2, according to Brand's calculations. If they took a traditional driving vacation to the Lake District instead, emissions would be less than 20,000 grams. But with prices for gasoline and hotels at all-time highs in England and Germany, it is more economical to fly to Spain, even for a weekend, than to take a traditional driving vacation near home."