Super Bowl: A Greenhouse Gastravaganza
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.30.08
It is a new record; over 400 private jets are flying into Phoenix for the Super Bowl this weekend, carrying mostly corporate types and their clients. “The Giants in particular have a huge corporate fan base" said an organizer of corporate events in the New York Times, “And 99 percent of our clients are corporations that are looking to entertain clients at these events.” Some of those corporations may even be among those who make claims to being concerned about the environment. So what is the impact of all these flights?
We did a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation.
A midsize jet with four passengers uses about 1500 gallons of fuel to fly from New York to Phoenix; burning a gallon of jet fuel emits 21.095 pounds of CO2. The trip emits 31,642 pounds or 15.8 tons of CO2.
Yet that epitome of environmental evil, a hummer H2, with four passengers, can drive from New York to Phoenix emitting only 1.79 tons of CO2. (1.46 pounds per mile times 2453 miles).
Assuming that most of those planes are flying from the east coast (a stretch, but we have no way of knowing and are trying to make a point here) we have 400 planes flying round trip so that is 800 times 15.8 tons or 12,640 tons of CO2.
The average family in America emits about 20 tons per year; the Super Bowl private jets emit as much CO2 as 632 American families living for an entire year. It emits the same amount of CO2 as driving a hummer from New York to LA and back 3,130 times.
It would be really interesting to know what companies flew in what customers on those jets. It would certainly have been better if they had just invited them to a big boardroom with a big TV and a few cases of beer. It might be an interesting question to ask at the next shareholders meeting: "Why are you using corporate funds to make this much CO2 to go to a football game?" ::New York Times
With the price of the tickets, a ride in a Gulfstream is like a taxi ride for 'everyone else'.
For prices like that, you could build your own train car and travel in real style whenever you had to go coast to coast. Those were the days.
Of course you would be constrained by rail size and maximum car dimensions so today's bigger = better slobs woudln't go for it.
I got to see the inside of one of those things once (believe me... not as a passenger!) and they are super cramped. I think it would be better to get a first class ticket on an already scheduled flight. But what do I know ... the rich are very different from you and I.
vsk
Amyris Technologies seem to be working on greener jet fuel. Not sure how much work is going on there. Do a google search.
Jet fuel is potent in climatic effects, but at the time your math is a little idealized. How much CO2 is released from an airplane depends on a number of factors : number of engines, speed setting etc.
There is an article stating that ships burn more C02 than jets.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/mar/03/travelsenvironmentalimpact.transportintheuk
Amyris Technologies seem to be working on greener jet fuel. Not sure how much work is going on there. Do a google search.
Jet fuel is potent in climatic effects, but at the time your math is a little idealized. How much CO2 is released from an airplane depends on a number of factors : number of engines, speed setting etc.
There is an article stating that ships burn more C02 than jets.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/mar/03/travelsenvironmentalimpact.transportintheuk
What about all the other factors - stadium, lights, sound, cameras, telecommunications, food, lodging, etc. etc. etc.? If you have the right data to perform a back-of-the-envelope, why not make a very public statement about consumption and the effect on the environment?
Rich people use up way too many resources.
On the flip side, they will be the ones to best fund what seems like expensive R & D into greener alternatives.
Ahh, will the rich ever give up their private jets?? Hm, probably not, though Congress and the FAA are trying to push more user fees on General Aviation to help fund Air Traffic Control and airport upgrades, maybe they can throw another fuel tax on Jet fuel, oh wait, there is.
Its a lot a easier and cheaper to learn how to fly a hot air balloon, maybe some of these exec's should look into that for their VIP travel.
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That makes you think how much we pollute not only when we travel to SEE a sporting event, but also how much we pollute when we PARTICIPATE in a sporting event AND attract people to the event as well.
Stay at home to exercise or to watch a sporting event. Just because your are active outside does not mean you do not contribute to global climate change.
BTW, you do not need to be rich to help finding greener alternatives to many of the damaging activities. All you need to do is learn from history. Most of what you should do was just forgotten. And even poor people can do a lot of it.
Karsten
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http://www.polluteless.com
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Exactly what envelope did you use here? Based on the stats for a Canadair 300 (a ten-passenger jet), and assuming an airway route, the fule burn for the flight comes to 1080 gallons. That gets you 22796 lbs/CO2 per flight, or 4559 short tons for the entire affair.
Not that I consider flying massive numbers of private jets to the superbowl a good, or even an acceptable use of resources. But it helps if your back of the envelope calculations have a few more references to back them up.
LA: My source said that a midsized gulfstream uses 1200 to 1500 gallons of fuel.
Your source has it about right, for a mid-size Gulfstream. But Gulfstream builds some of the largest and least fuel efficient corporate jets going. Calling a mid-size Gulfstream a mid-size business jet has a lot in common with calling a mid-size hummer a mid-size car.
Consider the following numbers:
Gulfstream 350 about 1620 gallons (1 way)
Canadair 300 about 1080 gallons (1 way)
Cessna CJ3 about 494 gallons (1 way)
Beech King Air about 588-611 gallons (1 way)
The pictured illustrating your article shows a King Air in the foreground.
As I said, I have no particular brief with using corporate jets to ride to the super bowl. That seems to me one of the ways our society overuses (and abuses) aviation. But I still think the example you chose exaggerates the problem.