With the climate crisis worsening and millions of flights pumping out a staggering amount of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, airlines have been under increasing pressure to take stronger action against the industry’s heavy environmental footprint.
To answer the concerns of eco-conscious travelers, JetBlue has a temporary solution. The trendy low-fare carrier has recently announced that it will offset the carbon emissions for all its domestic flights starting July 2020, becoming the first in the US to make such a target.
The New York-based airline said this will entail offsetting between 15 billion and 17 billion additional pounds of emissions per year via forest conservation projects, investing in solar and wind power generation initiatives, and capturing and reusing greenhouse gases from landfills.
Additionally, the company will start using sustainable aviation fuel this year, purchased from Finland-based Neste, on flights from San Francisco International Airport.
While JetBlue’s carbon offsetting initiative will only mildly mitigate the industry’s contribution to climate change, it represents a temporary stepping stone on the path towards more comprehensive, industry-wide environmental improvements, such as adopting electric planes and greener fuel.
