The Irish aviation industry is relentlessly pushing us, and lobbying politicians, in the wrong direction. According to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) “Ireland used 1.36 billion litres of jet kerosene in 2023 – the highest annual demand ever recorded and up 12.7% on the previous year.” [ref]
The transport sector is a large (40% in 2022), and growing, part of Ireland’s fossil fuel emissions problem. And, within transport, the sector that has contributed most to the increase since 2012 has been aviation. [ref]
| Equivalent greenhouse gas pollution | ||||
| Flight | Car | Public transport | ||
| 1 flight Dublin-London return, per passenger | = | 4 months of Irish car use, per person | = | 4 years of Irish public transport use, per person |
| 1 flight Dublin New-York return, per passenger | = | 1.5 years of Irish car use, per person | = | 20 years of Irish public transport use, per person |
Full calculations and sources: here
Flight data: https://co2.myclimate.org https://www.carboncare.org/en/co2-emissions-calculator
CO2 and energy data in Ireland: https://www.seai.ie/data-and-insights/
The vast majority of passenger flights from Ireland are to Europe (84%), and the UK is by far the leading destination, followed by Spain, both of which are accessible by ferry. The Dublin–London air route is the busiest air route in Europe, and the 2nd busiest international route in the world. [ref]
As well as passenger air traffic, increased demand for air freight is generated through online retailers such as Shein and Temu, who fulfil orders via air-freight rather than shipping. There is huge expansion in planes flying freight-only[ref], mostly through consumers ordering online directly from far-away online retailers, with products being flown rather than shipped to get to the consumer quickly. Even for fast-fashion items which are polluting to produce in the first place, if they are air freighted on a plane to the consumer, the pollution impact is 40% greater than if the same (polluting) item was shipped on an actual ship.[ref]
Next: Children’s rights
Children's Rights Over Flights 