Getting There Greener

The report analyzes the CO2 emissions of air, rail, automobile, and motor coach travel for U.S. vacations, concluding that motor coaches and trains are generally the greenest options, while solo driving and first-class flights are the most polluting.

• Motor coaches are identified as the lowest-carbon travel option for solo travelers and couples across various distances. A couple using a motor coach can reduce their carbon emissions by 55 to 75 percent compared to flying, depending on the distance.
• First-class air travel significantly increases a passenger's carbon footprint because these seats occupy more space, reducing the total number of passengers per flight. On domestic flights, a first-class traveler is responsible for twice as much carbon as a coach passenger.
• Nonstop flights are more carbon-efficient than connecting flights because takeoff, landing, and ground operations are high-emission activities. For a 1,000-mile trip from New York City to Orlando, a nonstop flight can save nearly 35 percent of emissions compared to a two-connection flight.
• Automobile emissions vary drastically based on vehicle efficiency and occupancy. Solo travel in a typical car often produces more carbon than regional jets. However, for families of four, efficient cars become one of the greenest options because the per-person footprint shrinks as more passengers occupy the vehicle.
• Rail travel is a low-emission alternative, with the Northeast Corridor (Washington, DC to Boston) being the cleanest rail option because it utilizes electricity. Electric trains in this corridor are approximately 20 percent cleaner than diesel trains used in the rest of the Amtrak network.
• Traffic congestion significantly increases fuel consumption and carbon emissions. When a vehicle is stuck in stop-and-go traffic at an average of five miles per hour, CO2 emissions can more than quadruple compared to smooth travel at 45–55 mph.
• The carbon footprint of a single high-emission vacation can exceed the annual emissions of a daily commute. For example, a family of four flying first-class from Chicago to Orlando via Houston produces more than 1.5 times the pollution of their entire year of weekday commuting.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2008). Getting There Greener. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/greentravel_report.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Getting There Greener. 2008. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/greentravel_report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Getting There Greener |date=December 2008 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/greentravel_report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2008getting, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Getting There Greener}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2008}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/greentravel_report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }