A review of air travel behavior and climate change

Abstract

Air transport challenges the world's net-zero carbon ambitions. The sector has consistently grown and causes warming as a result of both CO 2 and other, short-lived emissions. Two principal solutions have been proposed to reduce the contribution of aviation to climate change: innovations of technology and the development of interventions to trigger behavioral change. Technological innovations include new propulsion technologies and the use of sustainable aviation fuels. Behavioral change includes flight avoidance, substitution with other means of transport, the choice of efficient flight options, and carbon off-setting. This article focuses on behavior; it offers an overview of factors that lead to consumers traveling by air and discusses demand distribution complexities. The importance of price for air travel decisions is assessed, and evidence of travel "wants" are contrasted with "needs," the latter investigated in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The review of relevant scholarly work culminates in an action list enabling air travelers, policy makers, the aviation industry, researchers and society to meaningfully advance low-carbon air transport trajectories.

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A bibliometric analysis on renewable energy's public health benefits

“…On-road transportation, including cars, trucks, and buses, is responsible for the majority of GHG emissions associated with transportation. Due to the altitude at which emissions are released, air travel has a much greater impact per unit of emissions than other modes of transportation [70].…”

Too much consumption or too high emissions intensities? Explaining the high consumption-based carbon footprints in the Nordic countries

“…This suggests the need for stronger policies supporting society-wide lifestyle changes in key domains. These include, but are not limited to, reducing car dependence (Mattioli et al 2020) and improving conditions for walking, cycling, and public transportation, increasing taxes and removing subsidies in aviation (Gössling and Dolnicar 2022), promoting plant-based diets, changing the subsidies and taxes related to meat production, and subsidizing investments in the energy efficiency of buildings. Overall policies should support consumption of goods and services with low carbon intensity, and, vice versa, taxation and other tools available for the decision-makers should be utilized to increase the prices of carbon-intensive goods and services, and to decrease the prices of the lowintensity options.…”