one flight to and from the us creates more pollution than one average motorist in the uk does in one year. This was revealed by a study conducted by the international environment pressure group Friends of the Earth.
The recently-published report "Aviation and Global Climate Change" states that just one return flight from London to Miami produces as much carbon dioxide ( co 2 ) -- the gas that is mainly responsible for climate change -- as the average British motorist does driving for a whole year. Commenting on this latest information, aviation campaigner of the Friends of the Earth Simon McRae said, "People may not know that flying is so polluting. It's not that car travel is particularly fuel-efficient, it's just that flying burns up more fuel and is, therefore, more polluting."
He further points out: "Despite the damage they do, airlines, unlike other transport users, pay no tax on the fuel they use. So they have less incentive to save fuel." Friends of the Earth has been urging people to plan their holiday trips close to their homes, to take trains instead of short flights and to use teleconferencing instead of taking unessential business flights.
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