Business Travel GHG Emissions Analysis: Factors, Tools, and Cases for Calculating GHG Emissions and Setting Science-Based Targets for Organizations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria McCain ◽  
Allison Dowd ◽  
Dan Salzer ◽  
Erin Toothaker ◽  
Shengyin Xu
Keyword(s):  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Business Travel ◽  
Working Paper ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Improved Accuracy ◽  
Global Travel ◽  
Over Time

Air travel is an increasing source of global GHG emissions, yet still many organizations have struggled to reduce business travel activity. Originating out of the COVID-19 pandemic and global travel restrictions, this working paper is part of a series addressing business travel reduction opportunities. This paper discusses how various organizations can and have conducted GHG emissions measurement on air travel, set science-based reduction targets, and improved accuracy and efficiency of data over time.

scholarly journals Business Air Travel and Climate: Changing Behaviors Before, During, and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mindy Hernandez ◽  
Shengyin Xu ◽  
Lucas Toh ◽  
Sophie Attwood
Keyword(s):  
Travel Demand ◽  
Behavioral Science ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Behavior Changes ◽  
Staff Perceptions ◽  
Business Travel ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Percent Decrease

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for air travel had been growing at a rate that outpaced decarbonization efforts. Individuals and organizations were struggling to reduce air travel in an effort to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Results from World Resources Institute (WRI) indicate that COVID-19 travel restrictions were a transformative event that drastically changed not only its business travel behaviors, but its staff perceptions and reduction commitments as well. COVID travel restrictions resulted in significant emissions, budgetary, and time savings. Moving to virtual meetings resulted in 2,200 fewer flights in 10 months, a 92 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2019, pre-pandemic. This reduction in flights avoids 3,000 mt CO2e, US$2.6 million in ticket expenses, and 11,000 hours in flight time for staff. As vaccines become widely available and travel demand resumes, this paper considers how applied behavioral science can help translate recent perception and behavior changes into long-term organizational and sector-wide practices and policies that sustain strategic business air travel reductions.

scholarly journals Will We Fly Again? Modeling Air Travel Demand in light of COVID-19 through a London Case Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110252
Author(s):  
Francesco Manca ◽  
Aruna Sivakumar ◽  
Jacek Pawlak ◽  
Norbert J Brodzinski
Keyword(s):  
Travel Demand ◽  
Choice Model ◽  
Stated Preference ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Preference Heterogeneity ◽  
Business Travel ◽  
Air Transport Industry ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Attitudinal Characteristics ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated travel restrictions have created an unprecedented challenge for the air transport industry, which before the pandemic was facing almost the exact opposite set of problems. Instead of the growing demand and need for capacity expansion warring against environmental concerns, the sector is now facing a slump in demand and the continuing uncertainty about the impacts of the pandemic on people’s willingness to fly. To shed light on consumer attitudes toward air travel during and post the pandemic, this study presents an analysis that draws on recently collected survey data (April–July 2020), including both revealed and stated preference components, of 388 respondents who traveled from one of the six London, U.K., airports in 2019. Several travel scenarios considering the circumstances and attitudes related to COVID-19 are explored. The data is analyzed using a hybrid choice model to integrate latent constructs related to attitudinal characteristics. The analysis confirms the impact of consumers’ health concerns on their willingness to travel, as a function of travel characteristics, that is, cost and number of transfers. It also provides insights into preference heterogeneity as a function of sociodemographic characteristics. However, no significant effects are observed concerning perceptions of safety arising from wearing a mask, or concerns over the necessity to quarantine. Results also suggest that some respondents may perceive virtual substitutes for business travel, for example video calls and similar software, as only a temporary measure, and seek to return to traveling as soon as it is possible to do so safely.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and doctor emigration: the case of Ireland

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Niamh Humphries ◽  
Jennifer Creese ◽  
John-Paul Byrne ◽  
John Connell
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Contact Potential ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Hospital Doctors ◽  
June July ◽  
Global Travel

Abstract Background Since the 2008 recession, Ireland has experienced large-scale doctor emigration. This paper seeks to ascertain whether (and how) the COVID-19 pandemic might disrupt or reinforce existing patterns of doctor emigration. Method This paper draws on qualitative interviews with 31 hospital doctors in Ireland, undertaken in June–July 2020. As the researchers were subject to a government mandated work-from-home order at that time, they utilised Twitter™ to contact potential respondents (snowball sampling); and conducted interviews via Zoom™ or telephone. Findings Two cohorts of doctors were identified; COVID Returners (N = 12) and COVID Would-be Emigrants (N = 19). COVID Returners are Irish-trained emigrant doctors who returned to Ireland in March 2020, just as global travel ground to a halt. They returned to be closer to home and in response to a pandemic-related recruitment call issued by the Irish government. COVID Would-be Emigrants are hospital doctors considering emigration. Some had experienced pandemic-related disruptions to their emigration plans as a result of travel restrictions and border closures. However, most of the drivers of emigration mentioned by respondents related to underlying problems in the Irish health system rather than to the pandemic, i.e. a culture of medical emigration, poor working conditions and the limited availability of posts in the Irish health system. Discussion/conclusion This paper illustrates how the pandemic intensified and reinforced, rather than radically altered, the dynamics of doctor emigration from Ireland. Ireland must begin to prioritise doctor retention and return by developing a coherent policy response to the underlying drivers of doctor emigration.

scholarly journals There is a silver lining: carbon footprint reduction by holding Preventive Cardiology conference 2020 virtually

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Batool ◽  
A Neven ◽  
Y Vanrompay ◽  
M Adnan ◽  
P Dendale
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Co2 Production ◽  
Scientific Conference ◽  
Preventive Cardiology ◽  
Transport Modes

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): Special Research Fund (BOF), Hasselt University Introduction The transportation sector is one of the major sectors influencing climate change, contributing around 16% of total Greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. Aviation contributes to 12% of the transport related emissions. Among other climate change impacts, elevated heat exposure is associated with increased cardiac events and exposure to air pollution caused by GHG emissions has also well-known association with increased cardiovascular related morbidity and mortality. The global temperature rise should be restricted to less than 2 °C which requires keeping carbon emission (CO2) less than 2900 billion tonnes by the end of the 21st century. Assuming air travel a major contributing source to GHG, this study aims to raise the awareness about potential carbon emissions reduction due to air travel of international events like a scientific conference. Purpose Due to the global pandemic of COVID-19, the Preventive cardiology conference 2020 which was planned to be held at Malaga Spain, instead was held in virtual online way. This study aims to calculate the contribution of reduced CO2  emissions in tons due to ESC preventive cardiology conference 2020, which was then held online and air travel of the registered participants was avoided. Methods Anonymized participant registration information was used to determine the country and city of the 949 registered participants of the Preventive Cardiology conference 2020. It is assumed that participants would have travelled from the closest airports from their reported city locations to Malaga airport, Spain. At first, the closest city airports were determined using Google maps and flights information, then the flight emissions (direct and indirect CO2-equivalent emissions) per passenger for the given flight distances were calculated. The CO2 emissions (tons) were calculated for round trips in economy class from the participants of 68 nationalities (excluding 60 participants from Spain as they are assumed to take other modes of transport than airplane). Results In total, 1156.51 tons of CO2  emissions were saved by turning the physical conference into a virtual event. This emission amount is equivalent to the annual CO2 production of 108 people living in high-income countries. Conclusion The pandemic situation has forced us to rethink the necessity of trips by air and has shown us the feasibility of digitally organized events. The information from this study can add to the awareness about reduced amount of carbon emission due to air travel by organizing events in a virtual way when possible. Apart from only digitally organized events there are others options to reduce the carbon footprint of conferences such as limiting the number of physical attendees, encouraging the use of relatively sustainable transport modes for participants from nearby countries (e.g. international trains and use of active transport modes at conference venue etc.) and including CO2 emission offsetting costs.

Current issues and controversies in assessing the environmental impacts of livestock production.

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (044) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith L. Capper
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Environment Impact ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Specific Practice ◽  
Over Time

Abstract The environment impact of livestock production is one of the most significant issues within agriculture. Global concerns over climate change, resource use, pollution and other environment indicators means that producers must implement practices and systems to reduce environmental impacts, yet this may only be achieved through assessments that allow impacts to be quantified, benchmarked and improved over time. Although environmental indicators are widely accepted, the metrics by which these are assessed continue to evolve over time as assessment objectives gain clarity and focus, and as the science relating to controversial topics (e.g. global warming or carbon sequestration) becomes more refined. however, significant negative trade-offs may occur between different metrics and denominators such that a specific practice or system may appear to have greater or lesser impacts, depending on assessment methodology. A number of tools and models have been developed to empower producers in quantifying environmental impacts, which will be increasingly important is satisfying future consumers' hunger for information as well as food. These tools must be supplied in tandem with information as to the potential consequences of changing management practices and systems. At present however, tools available are based on differing methodologies, are often opaque in their background calculations and do not necessarily account for all the factors that influence environmental impacts from livestock. There is a clear need for robust tools that can be used as standards for assessing environmental impacts from the global livestock industry and that go beyond GHG emissions to produce a more rounded holistic assessment.

Air travel will rebound by 2023 amid structural shifts

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Air Travel ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Border Control ◽  
Online Retailing ◽  
Commercial Aviation ◽  
Business Travel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leisure Travel ◽  
National Governments ◽  
Structural Shifts

Significance While consumers are regaining confidence, demand for international air travel is stagnant as most countries have border control measures in place. The relaunch of commercial aviation is in the hands of national governments. Impacts Mandatory pre-flight screening will gradually disappear, replaced by a structured exchange of passengers’ health information data. Business travel will be at least 10-20% lower, and more remote working will blur distinctions between business and leisure travel. Traditional carriers will refocus their strategies on long-haul and online retailing while developing new capacity for cargo. Punctuality will lose relevance as new metrics are adopted to measure sanitisation and cabin cleanliness.

Business models for tourism and airlines will change

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Business Travel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Domestic Tourism ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Major Airlines ◽  
Business Customers

Significance The initial answers will come from the leisure segment, which is set to recover faster than business travel. For major airlines, reliance on business customers and travel hubs are potential vulnerabilities. Impacts COVID-19 has sparked interest in domestic tourism, but many places, especially the Mediterranean, still rely on good accessibility by air. Different providers will offer more simplicity as well as boutique experiences; both will be attractive to different clienteles. Addressing environmental concerns does not necessarily mean leisure air travel must suffer; sustainable smart solutions can be developed.

Global travel deals will be subject to reversals

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Travel ◽  
Affected Country

Significance The pandemic has seen an unprecedented reduction in global travel. Previously unthinkable travel bans and border closures have been implemented throughout the world in an attempt to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Many countries are now beginning to ease restrictions, aiming to achieve a new and sustainable normal. Travel is a crucial component of the global economy and the sector is restarting, but it faces major challenges. Impacts Domestic air travel will begin its recovery much ahead of international travel as it will not have to deal with border restrictions. Large outbreaks could lead to quarantines for individuals traveling to and from the affected country until control has been regained. Improvements in testing quality and capacity will significantly aid the global recovery process.

Carbon Footprint Analysis of an Educational Institution

2015 ◽  
Vol 787 ◽  
pp. 187-191
Author(s):  
P.M. Sivaram ◽  
N. Gowdhaman ◽  
D.Y. Ebin Davis ◽  
M. Subramanian
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Liquefied Petroleum Gas ◽  
Diesel Generator ◽  
Working Paper ◽  
Corporate Carbon Footprint ◽  
The Impact

Global warming and climate change are the foremost environmental challenges facing the world today. It is our responsibility to minimize the consumption of energy and hence reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. Companies choose ‘Carbon Footprint’ as a tool to calculate the greenhouse gas emission to show the impact of their activities on the environment. In this working paper, we assess the carbon foot print of an educational institution and suggest suitable measures for reducing it. Greenhouse gas emitting protocol for an academic institution in terms of tones of equivalent CO2 per year is projected using three basic steps includes planning (assessment of data’s), calculation and estimation of CO2 emitted. The estimation of carbon foot print is calculated by accounting direct emission from sources owned/controlled by the educational institution and from indirect emission i.e. purchased electricity, electricity produced by diesel Generator (DG), transport, cooking (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) and other outsourced distribution. The CO2 absorbed by trees are also accounted. Some of the options are identified in order to reduce CO2 level. The information of corporate carbon footprint helps us identifying the Green House Gases (GHG) emission “hot spots” and identifies where the greatest capacity exists in order to reduce the GHG emissions. The main prioritization goes to transport and then followed by DG, cooking and then electricity. The per capita CO2 emission and the total CO2 emission for a typical educational institution are estimated.

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