Finance & economics | Stormy skies

The struggle to put a carbon price on a flight

Europe is leading the world—but still not going fast enough

LISBON, PORTUGAL - AUGUST 31: A Groundforce ramps services operator watches travelers boarding a TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321 in Humberto Delgado International Airport on August 31, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. The city's airport has returned to normal after the forced inactivity due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, and large numbers of travelers meant delays and recriminations from the government to SEF and ANA, in charge of handling departing and arriving passengers. INE attributes to the strong recovery dynamics in tourism an important part of the country's economic growth. Compared to the first quarter of 2021 -when Portugal was practically paralyzed by the pandemic- domestic demand increased by 9.8%, exports by 18.3%, and imports by 13.1%. Portugal's economy grew 2.6% in the first quarter compared to the last one of 2021 -and 11.9% compared to the same period of the previous year, thanks to the end of COVID-19 Coronavirus restrictions and a strong growth in private consumption. (Photo by Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Few topics annoy green activists as much as air travel. Planes account for a sliver of total carbon-dioxide emissions— roughly 2.5%—but unlike heating, other transport and electricity, journeys on them are often luxuries not essentials. Air travel has also largely escaped carbon pricing, which covers a quarter of all emissions.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Stormy skies”

The winter war

From the December 17th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Finance & economics

The stars of the European Union flag falling down to the bottom of the flag.

Europe could be torn apart by new divisions

The continent is at its most vulnerable in decades

A bond flying away tied to a red balloon, in the spotlight.

How corporate bonds fell out of fashion

The market is at its hottest in years—and a shadow of its former self



China’s markets take a fresh beating

Authorities have responded by bossing around investors

Can America’s economy cope with mass deportations?

Production slowdowns, more imports and pricier housing could follow

Would an artificial-intelligence bubble be so bad?

A new book by Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber argues there are advantages to financial mania