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Calculating your vacation’s carbon footprint, one travel mode at a time
(Inside Climate News, 27 Sep 2022) A new tool says trains are almost always greener than planes. Also, climate anxiety in the U.K., the environmental destruction of Guam, and smaller, slower, less pollinating butterflies.
Planning a vacation? A new tool lets you calculate the carbon cost of your trip, taking into consideration distance traveled, mode of transportation and accommodation type.
Created by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, the Travel and Climate tool lets a user put in where they are, where they’re going, how many are traveling and for how long. The tool tells users the carbon impact of each of their options, whether they travel by train, bus, gas-powered car, electric car or plane, and whether they stay in a tent, hostel or hotel.
Flying tends to be the least climate friendly way to reach a destination because of the significant carbon emitted by airplanes. Driving a car is often less carbon intensive than flying, especially if the car is electric. Trains are often the best choice, according to the tool, especially in Europe where they are powered by electricity.
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