Virgin: CO2 emissions per passenger are smaller by plane than by car

In its sustainability program from 2013, the British airline Virgin Atlantic says that last year the CO2 emissions per passenger kilometer fell to 119.3 grams. This is an "interesting", according to the company, since in the United Kingdom the average emissions from the new car was 133.1 grams of CO2 per kilometre in 2012. The company is advancing that the fall in emissions in the United Kingdom is due to carry more passengers at high occupancy rates.

Virgin Atlantic â€" which, by the way, is suspect in this type of study â€" also confirmed that continues to reduce its global carbon footprint. The enormous investment in new aircraft, more efficient, reduced CO2 emissions by 30% in some cases.

The environmental groups, in turn, are questioning whether the Virgin Atlantic will be focusing on the wrong impact, with ever more people to fly. Dax Lovegrove, the WWF argues that this and other airlines should "focus less on passenger and efficiencies of CO2 per kilometre and more in managing the overall carbon footprint of the overall increase of passengers travelling great distances."

Lovegrove has cited a number of changes that are necessary to ensure an "intelligent mobility", which includes electric vehicles, better public transport and car sharing. In fact, a Virgin Atlantic spokesman admitted that emissions from automobiles are based on a single person traveling in the vehicle.

Emissions from aviation have doubled since 1990, due to increased passenger demand, according to Edie. In 2011 the aviation sector was responsible for 6% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United Kingdom, with the vast majority (95%), resulting from international flights.

"Fully Accept our part in reducing the negative consequences of air transport," said this year Craig Kreeger, Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic. "Our number one priority is to reduce the carbon emissions of our aircraft in flight."

Photo: under Creative Commons license

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