Google and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have announced a new collaboration focused on working to reduce the aviation carbon footprint. In particular, they aim to coordinate their methodologies for calculating emissions.
However, the agreement between the aviation sector’s governing body and the tech giant is not just about sharing knowledge to understand the carbon footprint. It also involves pooling information to work towards broader decarbonization of the aviation industry.
Under the scope of the new agreement, both organizations will work together to identify collaboration opportunities and improvements in their respective methodologies. This collaboration will be beneficial not only internally but also for the general public. It will also aid industry stakeholders and sector regulators in making environmentally sustainable and science-based decisions.
“There is currently a wide range of independently produced aviation carbon calculators that provide highly diverse emission estimate results for a specific aircraft and flight,” explained Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of ICAO.
According to him, the main reason is the use of different datasets and simplifications in the methodologies used, among other factors. “ICAO’s new partnership with Google should generate much more reliable results for passengers and carriers worldwide,” he anticipated.
ICAO’s Aviation Carbon Calculator
ICAO’s carbon emissions calculator is the only one of its kind approved by aviation regulators. Its use is open to consumers, businesses, governments, international organizations, non-profit organizations, and United Nations system entities.
One interesting feature of this tool is that it allows calculating the carbon footprint not only for conventional passenger travel but also for cargo shipments. In both cases, the user must specify the departure and destination airports for the flight to calculate it.
For passengers, the number of people traveling must be indicated, although this does not substantially alter the data, especially on long flights. The system performs a series of calculations based not only on fuel consumption but also on the relationship between distance and passenger weight in that process.
In the case of cargo, the element to consider is the weight being transported. This allows for a very precise calculation of the aviation carbon footprint [aviation carbon] generated by that cargo.
Google’s Model for Reporting Aviation Carbon
Meanwhile, Google has been providing carbon emission estimates in its Google Flights tool. Its Travel Impact Model helps people choose flights with lower emissions by providing information. Although its methodology, which is publicly accessible, allows estimating individual passenger flight emissions, the company itself recognized the need for improvement.
Specifically, it did so by convening an expert committee to advise on how to enhance it. This tool is crucial as it is not only used in Google’s internal tools but also provided by the company to the Travalyst Association of travel agencies.
“We want to help everyone make more sustainable decisions when they travel,” said Sebnem Erzan, Head of Sustainability in Travel and Transportation Partnerships at Google. “Together with ICAO, we can continue to improve the Travel Impact Model for flight emissions and increase transparency for travelers worldwide.”
“We are very confident that the collaboration between ICAO and Google will provide greater integrity and consistency in reported greenhouse gas inventories, as well as more accurate estimates of the carbon footprint,” added Erzan.
Areas for Improvement
In the case of ICAO, its calculator is more theoretical than practical. Experts point out that, while it provides quality indicative information, it falls short of indicating more specific data on carbon emissions in aviation.
One element that could modify the data is incorporating the type of aircraft used. Some of the more modern aircraft are highly fuel-efficient, while older ones consume fuel in a more polluting manner. Even some details of the combustion process itself change this element. Additionally, the size and number of passengers transported also modify this data.
For Google, the aim likely is not only to indicate the expenditure on a specific flight but to provide general information about a route. However, having information about specific flights allows for precise details such as the aircraft used.
