In the Netherlands, we have 5 different airports. These are Schiphol Airport, Eindhoven Airport, Groningen-Eelde Airport, Maastricht Aachen Airport and Rotterdam – The Hague airport. Schiphol is one of the busiest airports in the EU and continues to grow. No less than 88% of air traffic in the Netherlands takes place at Schiphol.
It is now known that flying is one of the most environmentally harmful modes of transport. Do you want to know why flying is so bad for the environment? In this blog you can read about the impact of air traffic on the environment, and what thinking differently and COVID-19 have in common. Finally, we will give you tips to keep your environmental impact as low as possible if you do decide to fly.
How polluting is aviation?
Aviation has a huge impact on the environment. For our own health and to achieve the climate goals, it is important to travel without flying. Aviation is the most climate-intensive mode of transport. The impact on the climate from aviation amounts to 7 percent of the total Dutch climate impact. Globally, aviation is responsible 2.4 percent of global CO2 emissions. Due to the growth in the number of flights, this percentage will only increase.
Due to its central location, Schiphol is a transfer port between Europe and the rest of the world. There is often landing and take off here. As a result, there is an extra large amount of CO2 and particulate matter emissions above the airspace of the Netherlands. When we talk about particulate matter, we mean the soot particles that we inhale without noticing. These soot particles cause damage to the lungs and sometimes even. asthma.
Particulate matter in the lungs is not the only thing that an airplane emits. The ultra-fine particles are even more dangerous for humans. These ultrafine particles reach the bloodstream via the lungs. This results in serious diseases such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, (lung) cancer and brain damage. Travelling without flying ensures that particulate matter emissions and ultra-fine particles do not end up in the air.
Thinking differently and COVID-19
The Netherlands wants to be climate neutral by 2050. If we look at the current aviation policy, this is impossible. It is clear that something must be done. Travelling without flying is the solution. We have to do things differently. Travelling in a different way, working in a different way and on holiday in a different way.
The world has come to a standstill everywhere thanks to the COVID-19. We were forced to think differently. This has also reduced the consumption of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions. Preliminary figures have shown that energy consumption and CO2 emissions from the transport sector have fallen drastically as a result of the general advice not to come to work if you are not working in a primary sector. The development of flying without flying has also become popular thanks to the COVID-19.
When we combine the decline in electricity consumption in the EU with the predicted decline in industrial and aviation activity, CO2 emissions are predicted to fall by 389 million. This number is more than France’s total annual emissions.
Still flying?
If you do decide not to travel without flying, we will give you tips here to reduce the environmental impact of flying.
If possible, opt for a direct flight. More CO2 is released during ascent and descent. So book a flight without stopovers. This results in less environmental impact and noise nuisance.
Make a clear choice in the purpose of your holiday. Would you like a sun holiday? Then choose, for example, the Canary Islands instead of Thailand. If you choose to go to the Canary Islands with 4 people, you will emit 7,500 kg less CO2 than the trip to Thailand.
It is preferable not to travel by car but take public transport to the airport.
Offset your climate emissions. How this works There are organizations that arrange climate compensation for you. These organizations serve as a kind of brokering. No forest or wind farms are built by middlemen, but ensure that your money ends up with those who do.
