(Paris) An environmental NGO denounced on Wednesday the environmental record of air freight companies, which according to it pollute 25% more than in 2019, in particular due to the development of online commerce.
According to Stand Earth, a US-Canadian organization, “before the COVID-19 pandemic, air cargo transportation was logically dominated by perishables, time-sensitive deliveries and luxury goods.”
But supply chain disruptions “created a historic market distortion: non-urgent, non-perishable, lower-value products were increasingly flown in,” an “anomaly” that “continues and is even growing in some cases,” assured Stand Earth.
The NGO, which relies on estimates from companies specializing in air data Cirium and IBA, targets in particular the companies FedEx, UPS and Amazon Air, “responsible for around 27% of greenhouse gas emissions. greenhouse of air cargo in the world” in 2023.
Stand Earth also criticizes Amazon for its strategy of rapid deliveries, in one day or even the same day, via its Prime program, “an important factor in the upward trend in emissions due to air freight”.
If the NGO is mainly interested in specialized airlines, air freight volumes are traditionally divided equally between these carriers and the holds of commercial passenger airline aircraft.
According to the world’s main airline association, IATA, air freight will represent 62 million tonnes in 2024, an increase of 7.6% compared to 2019. In tonnage, only 1% of global trade passes by air, but in value, the share of air freight is 35%.
Global online commerce is experiencing vigorous development, with the US Department of Foreign Trade forecasting an annual increase of more than 14% in value over the 2017-2027 period.
Between 2019 and 2023, the department estimates that online sales to consumers will nearly double, from $2051 billion to $3.64 trillion worldwide, driven by electronics, fashion and toys.
According to Boeing, in 2019, only 8% of jets were cargo planes. The aviation sector contributes around 3% of global CO emissions2, but its effects on warming are probably greater, because it also produces nitrogen oxides and condensation trails.