New research shows long-distance travel has a big climate impact

• Trips over 50 miles, though uncommon, cause most emissions.
• Flights are especially bad for the environment.
• Focusing on reducing long-distance travel could be more effective than cutting down on short trips.

Scientists at the University of Leeds studied travel habits in the UK. They found that long-distance journeys, even though they make up a small portion of all trips, are responsible for most of the emissions from passenger travel. Flights are the worst culprits.

The researchers recommend that we switch our focus to reducing long-distance travel, particularly flights, instead of just trying to cut down on everyday commutes. This could have a bigger impact on lowering emissions.

The study also introduced a new way to measure how effective changes in travel behavior would be at reducing emissions. This method considers both the number of trips affected and the resulting decrease in emissions.

The researchers hope their findings will encourage policymakers to take a fresh look at how we tackle the environmental impact of travel. They also want to raise awareness among the public about how their travel choices can affect the environment.

Read more at https://climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/true-scale-of-carbon-impact-from-long-distance-travel-revealed/