The EasyJet flight is now carbon neutral
The UK budget company said it expects to spend £ 25 million ($ 32.4 million) over the next year to compensate "for every tonne of CO2 emitted from fuel used for flights, by ensuring that there is one ton less in the atmosphere. "
"We recognize that set-off is only a temporary measure, but we want to take action on our carbon emissions now," EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren said in a statement. "Our priority is to continue working to reduce our carbon footprint in the short term, combined with long-term efforts to support the development of new technologies, including electric aircraft, to reinvent aviation."
EasyJet, Europe's fifth largest airline, says it has reduced the amount of carbon it emits for every kilometer each passenger flies by more than a third since 2000, using maximum fuel-efficient aircraft and cargo schedules.
Airlines are under increasing pressure to take urgent measures as increasing global awareness of the climate crisis poses an ever greater risk to the business. Greta Thunberg, the teen climate activist, helped popularize a hashtag on social media in her home country of Sweden that translates to "flight comb."
Environmental activists claim that global aviation emissions are increasing rapidly, and if the industry were a country, it would rank among the top 10 emissaries. In addition to CO2, aircraft emit nitrogen oxides, which contribute to global warming.
British Airways will also invest in solar products and plant trees in South America, Africa and Asia to offset its carbon emissions as of next year, the company said.
– Charles Riley contributed to this report
