Flights are one of the single biggest contributors to individual carbon dioxide emissions, yet are almost unavoidable for those wishing to travel to, or go abroad from, Japan — particularly problematic for climate-conscious residents who want to travel home to see friends and family for the holiday season.
According to German nonprofit Atmosfair, the average economy class return flight between Tokyo and London produces 6.2 metric tons of carbon dioxide, Tokyo to New York 6.6 tons and Tokyo to Melbourne 5 tons.
For context, the average person living in Japan produces 9.5 tons equivalent of carbon dioxide per year, according to the World Bank. A single return trip to New York produces more than half that. Simply put, flying as usual is incompatible with the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming scenario the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says we must meet if we are to avoid catastrophic global warming.