The Travel Smart Campaign is a global effort aiming at reducing air travel emissions during this decisive decade for climate action and decarbonising transport, by focusing on promoting and innovating alternatives to excessive high-emission flying, including business travel, private jets and long-haul flights.
In 2022, T&E launched the Travel Smart Campaign, aiming at reducing corporate air travel emissions by -50% or more compared to 2019 levels.
Having contributed to inspiring companies towards a new culture of purposeful travel and keeping emissions low, the campaign is now focusing on high-emission air travel – including premium flying, private jets, and long-haul journeys. This work towards managing travel demand goes hand in hand with efforts to address airport capacity and sustainable infrastructure.
The goal of the global campaign, coordinated by T&E together with a coalition of partners across Europe, North America and Asia, is to reduce excessive, high-emission flying to help reduce aviation emissions in this decade and promote more sustainable ways of travel.
Between 2005 and 2019, aviation traffic in Europe grew 67%, causing its emissions to grow at a time when they need to be falling. Emissions are projected to grow by a further 38% by 2050. This must stop.
Growth of the aviation sector, and in particular high-emissions flying, is not compatible with the needs of the planet. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has called for rapid, deep cuts in emissions.
The drop in corporate flying post-pandemic, rising private jet use for short trips, and the high climate impact of long-haul air travel raise questions about the need and frequency of such flights.
The campaign is not about stopping flying, it’s about flying less and achieving more. Reducing business flying, travel by private jet and long-haul flying provides the greatest potential to avoid emissions within the sector in a targeted and equitable way.
Travel Smart is a global campaign coordinated by T&E together with a coalition of partners across Europe, North America and Asia.
Green technologies are not yet available at scale to have the short-term impact needed on reducing emissions. The timeline for the scale-up of sustainable fuels and zero-emissions aircraft is currently post-2030. In time, these technologies will contribute more to reducing aviation emissions.
Offsetting emissions is ineffective and a fake climate solution. It will never be enough to tackle the emissions of rising global air traffic. For the critical decade until 2030, the best way to reduce aviation emissions is to fly less.