Investigation finds air freighters increased their pollution by 25% since 2019, U.S. responsible for over 40% globally

SEATTLE (Traditional Puget Sound Salish and Duwamish Lands) — An investigation by Stand.earth Research Group (SRG) released today finds that air freight carriers like FedEx, UPS, and Amazon Air have significantly increased their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since 2019. The report, Air Freight Operators Soar Toward Climate Change: The Shocking COVID Air Freight Surge That Won’t Go Away, also finds that the U.S. is responsible for an outsized share of that pollution.

• Click here to read SRG’s aviation report

Transport is already the world’s largest source of new greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, responsible for almost 12% of all emissions worldwide today. Those emissions are expected to increase exponentially by 2030, according to a report published last year by SRG, which also predicts global annual parcel volume could more than double by 2030. The report finds that:

• The United States is responsible for more than 40% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from global air cargo
• Air freight operators have increased their annual GHG emissions by 25% compared to 2019, meaning a yearly increase of almost 20 million tons CO2 (or over 22 million tons CO2e)
• FedEx, UPS, and Amazon Air generated more than 27% of the sector’s annual carbon emissions for global dedicated freighter flights, presenting material obstacles to climate progress
• Levels of non-urgent goods via air freight increased dramatically during the Covid-19 Pandemic, but have not returned to pre-Covid levels, but instead continues to grow

Also, despite Amazon’s rhetoric on climate change, the company’s own “Climate Pledge,” and the climate-focused charitable giving of company founder Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s focus on faster delivery has severe consequences: Amazon Air doubled its air cargo pollution year-over-year from 2019 through 2023.

“The expansion of dedicated air freight capacity alongside a nearly full recovery of belly freight cargo indicates the emergence of a new climate and human health threat in the air freight market. Today, air freighters are flying more planes, from more places, more often, leading to their unabated growth. Amazon Air and other air freight carriers must end their reliance on air cargo and shift freight shipments to lower-carbon modes of transport such as marine shipping or rail,” said Dr. Devyani Singh, Investigative Researcher at SRG.

Shipping by air is much more carbon-intensive by weight on average than other shipping methods: Estimates suggest air freighters can produce up to 80 times more carbon than shipping the same package by sea or truck, according to the report.

“There is great potential for air freight cargo industry leaders like FedEx, UPS, and Amazon Air to navigate the sector toward alignment with climate and public health imperatives. By adopting greater transparency on the true costs of air freight shipping, and providing full accounting of their GHG emissions, the ‘Big Three’ can lead the implementation of best practices for long-term sustainable business operations,” said Josh Archer, Senior Climate Campaigner at Stand.earth.

Recent studies confirm the harmful health effects caused by fossil fuel-derived air pollution. A 2021 Harvard University study finds that 20% of deaths globally can be linked to air pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels, while a Boston University-led study published last year finds that the pollutants nitrogen oxide, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and ozone (O3) from oil and gas production contributed to 7,500 excess deaths, 410,000 asthma attacks, and 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma across the U.S. Worldwide, the World Health Organization estimates that seven million people die every year due to air pollution. Regarding the urgent need to transition to clean transportation, a 2023 IPCC report finds “rapid, deep and immediate” emissions reductions are critical “in this decade.”

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Media Contact:

Shane Reese, Stand.earth Corporate Campaigns Media Director, shane.reese@stand.earth, +1 919 339 3785 (U.S. Eastern Time)