Treating yourself to a holiday abroad can already be a pricey affair.
But a large number of climate-conscious travellers now say they would be willing to pay even more to cut their carbon emissions.
Researchers from Macquarie University, Sydney found that 40 per cent of people would splash out for a low-emissions flight.
The biggest eco-warriors said they would be willing to pay an additional 0.99p per kilogram of carbon dioxide (CO2) saved.
That would equate to a staggering £1,081 extra per ticket for a flight from Sydney to London!
However, most people were only willing to pay a far more modest 1.5p per kilogram of CO2 saved.
This equates to a far more modest £22.25 extra per ticket for the same flight.
So, would you be willing to pay to fight climate change?
Researchers have found that 40 per cent of people would be willing to pay more money for flights in order to reduce their CO2 emissions (stock image)
Currently, the aviation industry is one of the world’s most carbon-intensive activities and is believed to be responsible for around 4 per cent of all global warming to date.
While only 10 per cent of the world’s population flies in most years, commercial aircraft produce an estimated 2.5 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions.
Airlines do have costly but effective options for lower carbon flights such as expensive biofuels or newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft.
And, using tools like Google Flights, customers can see exactly how much carbon dioxide their flight will create and should be able to use this to inform their decision.
However, while the researchers found that some people were willing to pay to reduce their carbon footprint, how much they were willing to pay varied widely.
The researchers gave 401 people a choice between hypothetical flight options for the same flight but at different prices and different levels of carbon emissions.
In studies about how much people would pay to ‘do the right thing’, scientists have found that people usually say they would pay much more than they actually would.
To avoid this bias, the researchers used a form of test called a ‘discrete choice experiment’ where participants were given options to choose from, rather than being asked how much they would pay.
When given the option, leisure fliers would be willing to pay an extra 1.5p per kg of CO2 avoided per ticket on average. The biggest eco-warriors would pay up to 0.99p (AU$1.95) per kilogram of CO2. That would add up to a staggering £1,081 extra per ticket to remove all the carbon from a flight from London to Sydney (stock image)
Just like Google Flights, the participants could see the cost of the flight, the CO2 emissions, and details like the amount of legroom, Wi-Fi availability and the type of screen entertainment on board.
At the bottom end of the scale, 60 per cent of people who took part in the trial said they wouldn’t spend an extra penny to make their trip better for the environment.
However, 40 per cent of leisure fliers would pay an additional sum to book a cleaner flight.
On average, those people were willing to pay an extra 1.5p per kg of CO2 removed for the flight.
That might not sound like a tremendous amount, but across large differences, the costs can quickly add up.
For example, a two-hour and 40-minute flight from London to Alicante, Spain produces 140kg of CO2 per passenger.
Applying their results, this suggests a large number of passengers would pay about £4.46 extra to avoid creating any pollution – an increase of about four per cent.
Likewise, a flight from London to Sydney produces 1,458 kg of CO2, meaning that people would pay up to £22.25 extra.
To help avoid bias, participants were asked to choose between three flight options with different prices and emissions estimated. While many people said they would pay more for greener tickets, 60 per cent of people weren’t willing to pay any more to reduce their emissions
Flying on modern planes could be worse for the environment since their higher, more fuel-efficient flight paths produce larger contrails. However, private jets were the biggest polluters of all
Additionally, the researchers found that almost all business class fliers were willing to pay some amount for a more eco-friendly flight.
On average, business class fliers were willing to pay 43p per kg of CO2 avoided.
If business class fliers make up 20 per cent of all tickets purchased, that would mean the majority, 54 per cent, of flight tickets are ’emissions-sensitive’ – meaning people are willing to pay more for eco-friendly options.
In their paper, published in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Dr Dylan Thompson and his co-authors argue that this could have big implications for the aviation industry.
The authors write: ‘Our analysis also carries considerable policy implications, particularly in light of the global emphasis on emissions reduction to mitigate the effects of climate change.
‘For instance, such policies could include emissions disclosures, carbon pricing, and carbon offset options to affect overall flight behaviour and reduce aviation carbon emissions.’
