According to an analysis, air freight operators increased their greenhouse gas emission by 25% in comparison with 2019.
Air freight operators will run about 300,000 additional flights in 2023 than they did in 2019, a nearly 30% increase in flight volume. According to , the report by campaign group Stand.earth, more than 40% of air freight emissions worldwide are attributed to the US.
Dr Devyani Singh is one of the authors who described the expansion of air cargo as a “new climate and human health risk” and urged the air freight companies to shift freight shipments “to lower-carbon modes such as maritime shipping or rail”.
Air freight is one of the most carbon intensive transportation methods. It produces approximately 80 times more CO2 than shipping by truck or sea.
Researchers attribute the sharp rise to the shifts in the economy post-pandemic and the newfound consumer expectations for e-commerce where rapid shipping is now the norm. Amazon’s Prime membership program is used by over 200 million people worldwide.
Researchers said that prior to the Covid-19 pandemic air freight was reserved primarily for perishable items, time-sensitive delivery and luxury items. Air freight was used to transport non-perishable goods and lower-value items, but this increased dramatically after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The report highlights two reasons for the increased emissions. Before the pandemic cargo was often carried in the belly of passenger aircraft. The drop in demand for international air travel caused by the pandemic has led to an increase in cargo-only fleets. The number of belly cargo emissions has not decreased, even though they have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
By 2023, the total amount of air freight emissions will have increased by 25% compared to 2019. This will be 93.8m tonnes. The belly cargo emissions have also recovered to almost 90% their 2019 levels.
FedEx and UPS accounted for 24,7% of the carbon emissions from the industry in 2023. Estimates suggest that 99.8% aviation fuel is made from fossil fuels. Low carbon alternatives are still a long way off.
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According to research published last year, predicted that the global parcel volume would increase from 315bn parcels in 2022 to 800bn by 2030.
Amazon’s revenues increased by 13% from the first to first quarters of 2023 and 2024.