JetBlue is the first U.S. airline to announce plans of going carbon neutral. Starting in July, the company will purchase carbon offsets for all U.S. domestic flights in a push to curtail fossil fuel emissions.
Their efforts are being applauded by some experts, while criticized by others. Some feel offsets are not an excellent answer to reducing greenhouse gas emissions because they should be eliminated from the source, not balanced out. Regardless, it is a good thing JetBlue has taken the initiative to do something at all, and we can only hope it will inspire others to do the same.
Robin Hayes, chief executive officer, JetBlue said:
Air travel connects people and cultures and supports a global economy, yet we must act to limit this critical industry’s contributions to climate change. We reduce where we can and offset where we can’t. By offsetting all of our domestic flying, we’re preparing our business for the lower-carbon economy that aviation – and all sectors – must plan for.
To offset its CO2 emissions, the airline will fund projects around the world, such as landfill gas capture for energy harvesting, renewable energy, and forest conservation. It will also begin using sustainable fuel to power planes flying out from San Francisco International Airport. All of these changes will not affect the cost of ticket prices for passengers.
JetBlue spokeswoman wrote in an email to CBS News:
This is the cost of doing business. We’ve always anticipated customer’s needs and expectations — from TV to legroom. From a business perspective, this is similar. The difference is that in addition to answering our customers’ needs, it also addresses an urgent societal issue, growing emissions.
The aviation industry would be ranked as one of the top ten global emitters if it were a country, said the EU urging action.
In Europe, airlines such as British Airways, EasyJet and Air France have already announced plans to purchase offsets for domestic flights. The industry as a whole has a goal of cutting emissions by 50% of 2005 levels by 2050.
The opportunity for passengers to voluntarily buy offsets from a third-party seller equal to the emissions caused by their flight ticket has been available for quite a long time already. However, people rarely do it.
There was a case study conducted in the UK and Australia that found only 10% of 500 passengers said they’d purchased offsets. Most passengers may not even know the option to purchase offsets exists, said Jin-Long Lu at Taiwan’s National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology. Lu gave over a thousand passengers at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan a survey, and the results show that most passengers aren’t even aware of the negative impacts of air travel, and they don’t know anything about offsetting programs.
Lu said of JetBlue’s announcement:
I think this can be seen as a signal that airlines are starting to put the responsibility of reducing carbon emissions on themselves. I hope the decision made by JetBlue can be a good example [for other airlines].
While American and European airlines are about to pour millions of dollars into offset programs, Susanne Becken, a professor of sustainable tourism at Australia’s Griffith University, shares her insight on the unreliability of this approach. She said:
If air travel sucks up all the good efforts made by everyone else, we are literally treading water and are exactly in the same position that we are now in 10 or 20 years. Airlines need to reduce their emissions from the start and transition off fossil fuels.
The best approach would be to reduce emissions first and foremost, then use offsets as a boost – otherwise only as a last resort. The Natural Resources Defense Council website recommends:
After you’ve done all you can to shrink your personal carbon footprint, it’s time to consider buying offsets.
Lu said that JetBlue is cutting emissions in multiple ways. For example, by reducing baggage allowances to cut down on fuel use. Meanwhile, they are investing in more fuel-efficient fleets as well. And the sustainable jet fuel it is about to begin using called MY Renewable Jet Fuel has up to an 80% smaller footprint than fossil jet fuel.
