Summary of current research and examples from practice on the climate impact of academic flying, and initiatives to fly less.

1. Data on academic flying
Kimberly Nicholas, PhD
Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies
kimnicholas.com, Twitter: @KA_Nicholas
Updated 12 November 2018
Feel free to use/edit slides freely
Please retain attribution to original sources for graphics and data where presented
Links to original sources are in Notes section
@KA_Nicholas

2. Executive summary
• Academics fly a lot and it has a very large carbon footprint,
both individually and for the university as a whole.
• A small number of mostly senior academics fly a great deal
and produce a very large carbon footprint.
• Conference travel is the biggest contributor to academic
flying.
• Individuals who fly less or don’t fly have a large effect on the
behavior of those around them.
• The public thinks researchers who have a lower carbon
footprint and fly less are more credible, and they are more
likely to be willing to do the same.
• There are good models for creating a low-carbon research
culture and setting institutional goals for reduced academic
flying.
@KA_Nicholas

3. Key takeaway slides
• Slides 4-8 are also repeated below in context.
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4. Peter Kalmus, climate scientist:
initial carbon footprint dominated by flying
Kalmus, 2016, “How far can we get without flying?” YES Magazine
@KA_Nicholas

5. University of British Columbia Case Study:
University air travel emissions ≈
2/3 of on-campus operation emissions
Wynes & Donner, 2018, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions report
@KA_Nicholas

6. A few academic fliers
contribute most emissions
Wynes & Donner, 2018, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions report
Survey of 1509 individuals across
8 departments at UBC:
• Almost 1/3 did not fly
• 8% produced half of all flight
emissions
• 25% produced 80% of
emissions
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7. Full report: https://tyndall.ac.uk/travel-strategy
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8. Wynes & Donner, 2018, Action Plan, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions report
@KA_Nicholas

9. Topics
1. Flying is unusual; increases with high income
2. Flying has an extremely high climate impact
3. Academics fly a lot, and it has a big climate impact
4. Most academic flying is for conferences
5. Academics who reduce flying affect the public and
their colleagues
6. Recommendations to reduce academic flying
7. Individuals, initiatives, institutions leading by
example
8. Stories of flying less
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10. Flying is unusual
• Most Americans don’t fly, or fly once or twice
a year
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11. Most Americans did not fly in the last year
Executive Summary
3
Not on an
airline
An Airline
None of these
The 2015 American Adult Flyer at a Glance
% of Americans who flew on an
airline in 2015
50%50%
Gender
Male
Female
67%
8%
17%
6% 2%
Race/Ethnicity
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Other
35%
35%
30%
Age
18-34
35-54
55+
80%
14%
6%
2015 Flyer Satisfaction
Satisfied
Neither
Dissatisfied
42%
17%
45%
81%
Flew personal 2015
Flew business 2015
Flew in 2015
Ever flown
Airline Travel 2015
% of US Adult Population
21 24 24 28 29 32
39
4549
55
65 70 73 76 81 81
1971
1972
1973
1974
1977
1979
1981
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1997
2016
Airline Travel 1971-2015
% of US Adult Population
Ever flown
Flown in
last year
Heimlich, 2016, Ipsos Public Affairs presentation: “Status of air travel in the USA”@KA_Nicholas

12. Average American flies 2.1 trips/year
4
Trips per Airline Traveler
15
2
2
6
5
9
10
20
31
9+ trips
8 trips
7 trips
6 trips
5 trips
4 trips
3 trips
2 trips
1 trip
Q3. In 2015, how many trips did you take on airlines for the following purposes?
Count each roundtrip as a single trip and include any trips planned for the last few
weeks of 2015
2015 Airline Travelers
% of all 2015 flyers take X trips
6
1
1
3
2
4
5
9
14
55
9+ trips
8 trips
7 trips
6 trips
5 trips
4 trips
3 trips
2 trips
1 trip
0 trips
All American Adults
% of all Americans take X trips
Average
4.8 trips
Average
2.1 trips
Heimlich, 2016, Ipsos Public Affairs presentation: “Status of air travel in the USA”
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13. Average American does not fly much,
therefore low footprint from air travel
Jones & Kammen, 2011, Environmental Science & Technology
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14. Air travel emissions tend to
increase with income
Jones & Kammen, 2011, Environmental Science & Technology
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15. For those who do fly,
it has a very large climate impact
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16. Flying is extremely carbon intensive
Le Quéré et al., 2015, “Towards a culture of low-carbon research for the 21st century”
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
@KA_Nicholas

17. Peter Kalmus, climate scientist:
initial carbon footprint dominated by flying
Kalmus, 2016, “How far can we get without flying?” YES Magazine
@KA_Nicholas

18. High-impact personal climate actions:
meat, car, & flight-free; 1 fewer child
Wynes & Nicholas, 2017, Environmental Research Letters
Graphic by Catrin Jakobsson
@KA_Nicholas

19. Budget for household emissions for <2° in 2050:
2.1 tons/person/year in 2050
(Girod et al., 2013)
Wynes & Nicholas, 2017, Environmental Research Letters
Graphic by Catrin Jakobsson
@KA_Nicholas
One roundtrip transatlantic flight is 80% of a
sustainable annual carbon budget

20. Daily choices on mobility, food &
energy save emissions today
Wynes & Nicholas, 2017, Environmental Research Letters
Graphic by Catrin Jakobsson
@KA_Nicholas

21. Reproductive choices today have enormous
carbon legacy (esp. w/ high GHG lifestyles)
Wynes & Nicholas, 2017, Environmental Research Letters
Graphic by Catrin Jakobsson
@KA_Nicholas

22. Academics fly a lot, and it has
a big climate impact
@KA_Nicholas

23. UBC Case Study:
University air travel emissions ≈
2/3 of on-campus operation emissions
Wynes & Donner, 2018, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions report
@KA_Nicholas

24. Most university travel is <1 week trips
Wynes & Donner, 2018, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions report
Pacif cInstituteforClimateSolutions
Figure1:Histogram of trip length.Notethat a small number of tripslonger than 40nightsarenot shown.
@KA_Nicholas

25. A few academic fliers
contribute most emissions
Wynes & Donner, 2018, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions report
Survey of 1509 individuals across
8 departments at UBC:
• Almost 1/3 did not fly
• 8% produced half of all flight
emissions
• 25% produced 80% of
emissions
@KA_Nicholas

26. Frequent flying can also impact health,
stress, & work-life balance
@KA_Nicholas

27. More senior academics tend to fly more
Isabell Burian, 2018, MSc thesis, Lund University@KA_Nicholas

28. Why do academics fly?
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29. Most university travel is for conferences
11
Figure1:Histogram of trip length.Notethat a small number of tripslonger than 40nightsarenot shown.
Figure 2: Emissions associated with each primary purpose of trip in the bottom-up sample of eight UBC
campusunits.
Wynes & Donner, 2018, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions report
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30. 74% of a PhD carbon footprint is plane travel
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Achten et al., 2013, Ecol Econ
Fieldwork by plane

31. Most conferences do not profile their
climate or environmental impact
Holden et al., 2017, Nature Ecology & Evolution
Assessed environmental impact policies of 116 international and national academic
conferences from 18 scientific disciplines in 31 countries
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32. International flights to attend conferences
= majority of conference footprint
Desiere, 2016, EuroChoices@KA_Nicholas
Half of emissions
came from 10% of
attendees who took
transatlantic flight

33. Strategies to reduce conference
carbon footprints
Desiere, 2016, EuroChoices
• Reduce participants traveling long distances
• Ensure key role in conference for those who do travel long distances
• Consider desired attendees and select central conference location for them
• Select location with good train/transit connectivity
• Do not reward selecting exotic/remote conference locales
• Facilitate booking train tickets, offer discount vouchers from train companies, inform
participants about their carbon footprint@KA_Nicholas

34. Academic leaders reducing flying
increases public willingness to reduce
their own emissions
@KA_Nicholas

35. The public finds scientists who fly less
more credible
@KA_Nicholas
Attari et al., 2016, Climatic Change

36. The public is more willing to fly less if
credible researchers recommend it
@KA_Nicholas
Attari et al., 2016, Climatic Change

37. Sustainability scientists think their flying behavior
matters, but still see their colleagues flying
Isabell Burian, 2018, MSc thesis, Lund University
@KA_Nicholas

38. Westlake, 2017. MSc Thesis, Birkbeck University
@KA_Nicholas

39. Westlake, 2017. MSc Thesis, Birkbeck University
@KA_Nicholas

40. Westlake, 2017. MSc Thesis, Birkbeck University
@KA_Nicholas

41. Westlake, 2017. MSc Thesis, Birkbeck University
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42. Westlake, 2017. MSc Thesis, Birkbeck University
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43. Recommendations to reduce
academic flying
@KA_Nicholas

44. Wynes & Donner, 2018, Action Plan, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions report
@KA_Nicholas

45. Full report: https://tyndall.ac.uk/travel-strategy
@KA_Nicholas

46. Le Quéré et al., 2015, “Towards a culture of low-carbon research for the 21st century”
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
@KA_Nicholas

47. Possible measures to consider to
reduce air travel
Isabell Burian, 2018, MSc thesis, Lund University
@KA_Nicholas

48. Westlake, 2017. MSc Thesis, Birkbeck University
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49. Individuals, initiatives and institutions
are leading by example
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50. Institutions setting goals & tracking flights
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51. One option for academic flight tracking
http://traveltracker.world/
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52. https://academicflyingblog.wordpress.com/
Petition text:
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53. Stories of flying less
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54. Peter Kalmus: 10x lower emissions
Kalmus, 2016, “How far can we get without flying?” YES Magazine
2.1
tons/person/yea
r by 2050: target
for staying below
2° (Girod et al.,
2014)
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55. @KA_Nicholas

56. @KA_Nicholas

57. Twitter hashtag #flyingless
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