It’s a well-known fact that flying is one of the most significant contributors to global warming. And while we all want to be that bit more eco-conscious, holidays aren’t easy to sacrifice. But we can make small travel choices that will cut down our own carbon footprint. Like, for instance, choosing a more eco-friendly airport to fly from.
Researchers at comparison site Utility Bidder have done some digging to reveal which UK airports have the largest carbon footprint. And the results might actually surprise you.
Coming in as the UK’s worst carbon culprit was Jersey Airport, with emissions measuring 156g per passenger per km. Following closely behind with 154g of CO2 emitted per passenger per km was London City Airport.
It should be noted that both airports are trying to tackle the high levels of pollution. Jersey has made plans to alter its flight paths to make routes more efficient, while London City has ambitions to become net zero by 2030.
Completing the top three most polluting airports was Southampton with 135g of carbon emissions per passenger per km. Surprisingly, one of the UK’s biggest and best known airports, Heathrow, only came eighth on the list, with its emissions averaging 95g per passenger per km.
At the other end of the spectrum, Glasgow Prestwick was unveiled as the airport with the lowest carbon footprint – just 64g per passenger per km. It was followed by Bournemouth Airport and East Midlands Airport, which installed wind turbines and a willow farm in order to shrink its footprint.
Here’s the full list of the British airports with the highest carbon footprint (in grams per passenger per kilometre):
- Jersey: 156
- London City: 154
- Southampton: 135
- Belfast George Best: 133
- Inverness: 121
- Norwich: 117
- Aberdeen: 115
- London Heathrow: 95
- Exeter: 93
- Belfast: 86
And these are the least polluting UK airports:
- Glasgow Prestwick: 64
- Bournemouth: 67
- East Midlands: 69
- Doncaster Sheffield: 71
- London Luton: 73
- London Stansted: 74
- Leeds Bradford: 76
- Newcastle: 76
- Bristol: 77
- Liverpool John Lennon: 78
You can read the full study by Utility Bidder here.
ICYMI: these are the best (and worst) airports in the UK, according to Which?
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