It has long been debated, and long been a question in my mind as to which is the most environmentally friendly way of traveling long distances. It appears that I now have my answer.
According to the article, Flying vs Driving: Which is Better for the Environment? driving is the answer. In a trip of 300 miles from Philadelphia to Boston, driving that distance would generate about 104 kilograms of carbon dioxide regardless of the number of passengers. Flying on the other hand would generate about 184 kilograms of carbon dioxide per passenger. Most planes can seat an average of 80 people. Thats equal to 14,720 kilograms of carbon dioxide for one trip! http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/fly_vs_drive.htm
Planes are usually chosen over cars for their convenience.
However, the economic side must be taken into account and on this side, flying wins. Flying a one way trip from San Francisco to Boston is much more worth it then driving. Although driving would emit less carbon dioxide into the environment, imagine all the money one would spend on food, gas, and hotels, not to mention the hours. Furthermore the strain that one puts on his/her car by driving that distance could have adverse effects on the car in the long run.
Once again, travelers are faced with the decision: conveniency or mother earth. I know I would choose conveniency, and I bet so would 9 out of 10 people. However, maybe this is the problem with our world today and the main reason why our earth is struggling. We are not being humble guests, and we must recognize that without our home we can have nothing more to destroy.
Nate’s post sparked my interest because this is a conflict that is extremely prevalent in my family. For years, my parents have insisted on driving to all of our vacation destinations. I have made grueling trips in the car to Florida, Cape Cod, Colorado, and even Las Vegas. On all of these occassions, my siblings and I have moaned and groaned about our parents’ choice of transportation. It always seemed to me that flying was more economically friendly, environmentally friendly and, not to mention, much less unbearable. However, I recently had a complete change of heart.
On my family’s annual trip to Florida over Spring Break of last year, my mom and dad paid close attention to the time and money spent on our trip. It took us about 21 hours to arrive in Siesta Key, Florida and the numbers supported my parents’ case — as they frequently remind me. Even in my family’s gas-guzzling SUV, it costed significantly less to travel than if my dad were to pay for six plane tickets. It suddenly occured to me that maybe those 21 hours in the car were completely worth the money saved. I will not, however, support my dad’s claim that the time is a good bonding experience.
Upon arriving home, I delved deeper into research. A commercial airplane is estimated to burn 5 gallons of fuel per mile. A round-trip flight between Chicago and Florida is approximately 2300 miles, meaning 11,500 gallons burnt. A round-trip automobile trip burns about 97 gallons total. So, a commercial airplane flight burns about 20 gallons per passenger (assuming a capacity of 568 people) while a family car trip burns about 16 gallons (assuming six people are traveling together). Economically, a round-trip flight for six people would cost about $1800 while the cost of gasoline (assuming no stops at hotels) for an automobile trip (with gas prices at about $1.80) would be about $190.
In conclusion, the statistics are in favor of traveling by car. Economically, driving is MUCH cheaper. Environmentally, driving is also slightly less harmful to the environment. Thus, the ultimate decision comes down to whether or not one is willing to sacrifice time in concern for the environment and his or her wallet.
It is safe to say that my family takes a very different approach than Christine’s family. Our travel patterns are more consistent with the “9 out of 10 people” who prefer convenience over mother earth that Nate refers to in his blog. As avid travelers, my family has been on more flights than I can even count. My Dad alone has traveled for work and sometimes travels from Chicago to Texas in just one day!
After reading Nate and Christine’s explanation of how airplane travel is worse for the environment, a thought came to mind. Driving long distances wears out a vehicle– there is no way around it. The more miles you put on the car, the less durable it becomes. And what happens when cars become less durable? They become worse for the environment! Old cars emit many pollutions that newer cars do. That is why it boggles my mind that in Illinois, old cars are not required to get emissions testing! How ridiculous.
While doing some research on new cars vs. old cars, I came across a website that is promoting a series of laws to ban old cars. One such law will potentially state that car dealerships may not sell cars over 10 years old and cars over 20 years old will not be allowed to be in use on the road. Why knows what will happen with this issue but in relation to the topic “Driving vs. Flying”, driving may not seem as “green” of an option as some may think.