(Paris) An environmental NGO denounced on Wednesday the environmental record of air freight companies, which according to it pollute 25% more than in 2019, in particular due to the development of online commerce.
According to Stand Earth, a US-Canadian organization, “before the COVID-19 pandemic, air cargo transportation was understandably dominated by perishables, time-sensitive deliveries and luxury goods.”
But supply chain disruptions “created a historic market distortion: non-urgent, non-perishable, lower-value products were increasingly flown in,” an “anomaly” that “continues and is even growing in some cases,” assured Stand Earth.
The NGO, which relies on estimates from companies specializing in aviation data Cirium and IBA, is targeting in particular the companies FedEx, UPS and Amazon Air, “responsible for approximately 27% of greenhouse gas emissions from air freight worldwide” in 2023.
While the NGO is mainly interested in specialist airlines, air freight volumes are traditionally divided equally between these carriers and the holds of commercial passenger aircraft.
According to the world’s leading airline association, IATA, air freight will account for 62 million tonnes in 2024, an increase of 7.6% compared to 2019. In tonnage terms, only 1% of global trade moves by air, but in value terms, air freight’s share is 35%.
Global e-commerce, for its part, is experiencing vigorous development, with the US Department of Commerce predicting an annual increase of more than 14% in value over the period 2017-2027.
Between 2019 and 2023, the department estimates that online consumer sales revenue will almost double from 2051 to $3.64 trillion worldwide, driven by electronics, fashion and toys.
According to Boeing, in 2019, only 8% of jets were cargo planes. The aviation sector contributes about 3% of global CO2 emissions, but its warming effects are likely greater, as it also produces nitrogen oxides and contrails.
