Delta airline boss says tackling climate change means higher airfare

Days after the UN Climate Summit concluded in Glasgow, Delta airlines-- one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier-- announced that they are planning to hike the fares in order to meet the climate standards. According to a report by BBC, the decision from the bosses of the airline came as 23 countries have vowed to work collectively to get the aviation industry to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In order to achieve the goals, the airline has reportedly pledged to use sustainable aviation fuels and electric aeroplanes as a measure to improve the aviation sector.

"Over time, it's going to cost us all more, but it's the right approach that we must take," BBC quoted Delta Air Lines chief executive Ed Bastian as saying.

It is worth mentioning that the aviation sector is responsible for about 2.5% of the carbon emissions, as per the reports of the International Energy Agency. According to the bosses of Delta airlines, spending an amount of $30m (£22.4m) a year could reduce carbon emissions significantly. However, environmental advocacy group Greenpeace told the media outlet that the agreement is just a 'brazen greenwashing'. They said the statement from the bosses could yield results, rather, they should implement a scheme that could reduce the flying. 

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"This announcement is full of scams like offsetting, and excessive optimism on so-called 'sustainable aviation fuels' and future aircraft designs," BBC quoted Greenpeace's, Klara Maria Schenk as saying. "But it lacks the one thing that's needed to achieve the goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius which is concrete action to prioritise green travel and reduce flights." Notably, during the COVID pandemic, the airlines were the worst-hit sector that took more than a year to return to recovery mode. "All forms of travel are on the way back. Families are the part of the travelling public that we're most happy to see because there have been some really difficult stories over time of families not being able to connect for long periods," BBC quoted Bastian as saying.

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According to him, the business class is also returning to the normal mode as he believes video conferencing could not deter the enthusiasm of meeting the people face to face. "There's a real unity and sense of purpose that we have when people get back together in person," he told to BBC. It is worth mentioning that private jets emit 10 times carbon as compared to passenger planes. Recently,  Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had to suffer the wrath for using a private jet to reach a conference for climate change. Climate activists took a dig at Bezos for taking a private jet to attend UN Climate Summit in Glasgow. Though Bezos said that his company aims to power all its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, climate activists said his trip to Glasgow (COP26) with a private jet produced ten times the amount of carbon per passenger.

(Image: Twitter/Delta)