February 12, 2023February 17, 2023 Do planes produce more pollution than cars? Do planes produce more pollution than cars? Admittedly, air transport is extremely polluting – but so are cars. Air traffic represents less than 2-3% of the global CO2 emissions whereas road traffic accounts for around 10% of these direct emissions. Still, planes remain among the most polluting means of transport, together with cars. Is it better to drive or fly for the environment? The quick answer is pretty quick: Driving your family from San Francisco to Los Angeles emits fewer greenhouse gasses (GHGs) than flying. … To tip the balance further, take-off and landing use more fuel than cruising does, so shorter flights like this one end up being even less efficient than a cross-country route. Is air travel worse than driving? In absolute numbers, driving is more dangerous, with more than 5 million accidents compared to 20 accidents in flying. A more direct comparison per 100 million miles pits driving’s 1.27 fatalities and 80 injuries against flying’s lack of deaths and almost no injuries, which again shows air travel to be safer. Are cars the biggest polluters? In 2019, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation accounted for about 29 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest contributor of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. What form of transport is worst for the environment? Within the transport sector, road transport is the largest contributor to global warming. What’s worse for the environment planes or cars? Planes burn up more fuel than cars per journey, and therefore produce more carbon dioxide. How much does aviation pollute? Left unchecked global aviation will generate an estimated 43 metric gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions through 2050, constituting almost 5% of the global emissions allowable to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Is air travel safer than car travel? It is estimated that the odds of dying in a plane crash are 1 in 9,821. For a better perspective, that is 1 fatal accident per 16 million flights. Whereas the odds of dying in a car crash are approximately . Which is more polluting, a car or a plane? Admittedly, air transport is extremely polluting – but so are cars. Air traffic represents less than 2-3% of the global CO2 emissions whereas road traffic accounts for around 10% of these direct emissions. Still, planes remain among the most polluting means of transport, together with cars. Why does a plane produce more CO2 than a car? Planes burn up more fuel than cars per journey, and therefore produce more carbon dioxide. Which is better, a car or a plane? In the end, a journey by plane is often environmentally better than one by car for long journeys. All other things being alike, choosing the plane increases the occupancy rate of the planes – which will take-off anyway whether you are in it or not. Which is better for the environment, flying or driving a car? Selected EarthTalk columns are reprinted by permission of the editors of E. Driving in a relatively fuel-efficient car (25–30 miles per gallon) usually generates fewer greenhouse-gas emissions than flying. Also Read Questions