A recent study showed that just 1% of the world’s population is responsible for 50% of the aviation emissions each year.
It is calculated that airlines emit around 1 billion tonnes of carbon each year. They also suggest that by not making airlines fully pay for the emissions they cause, it is the equivalent of giving a subsidy of £75 billion (100 billion dollars) a year.
The US air emissions are far larger than any other countries, indeed they are greater than the next 10 largest countries combined, including UK Japan Germany and Australia. China’s contribution is increasing, however it is currently less than 20% of that of the USA.
Significant money must be spent in reducing the impact of flying, and adding some extra tax to those who fly regularly might well create this. It is imperative that long-distance flights continue to be possible, as funding for the majority of wildlife conservation relies on people going to see the animals in question, and generally the amount of money it costs means that locals cannot provide enough to keep the work going.
