Business Air Travel and Climate: Changing Behaviors Before, During, and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic

The document analyzes the impact of COVID-19 travel restrictions on the World Resources Institute's (WRI) business travel, noting a 92 percent decrease in flights over a 10-month period. It argues that behavioral science can help sustain these reductions—which saved 3,000 mt CO2e and US$2.6 million—as travel demand resumes.

• Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth in air travel demand exceeded the pace of decarbonization efforts, making it difficult for organizations and individuals to reduce travel to meet the 1.5°C global temperature rise limit.
• COVID-19 travel restrictions served as a transformative event for the World Resources Institute (WRI), leading to a 92 percent reduction in flights over 10 months compared to the same period in 2019.
• The reduction in business flights at WRI resulted in the avoidance of 3,000 mt CO2e, a saving of US$2.6 million in ticket costs, and a reduction of 11,000 staff flight hours.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Business Air Travel and Climate: Changing Behaviors Before, During, and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic. https://www.wri.org/research/business-air-travel-and-climate-changing-behaviors-during-and-beyond-covid-19-pandemic

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Business Air Travel and Climate: Changing Behaviors Before, During, and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/business-air-travel-and-climate-changing-behaviors-during-and-beyond-covid-19-pandemic.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Business Air Travel and Climate: Changing Behaviors Before, During, and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic |url=https://www.wri.org/research/business-air-travel-and-climate-changing-behaviors-during-and-beyond-covid-19-pandemic |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendbusiness, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Business Air Travel and Climate: Changing Behaviors Before, During, and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/business-air-travel-and-climate-changing-behaviors-during-and-beyond-covid-19-pandemic}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }