According to a report from the campaign group Stand.earth, the surge in online shopping and changes in the post-pandemic economy has driven a 25% rise in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2019 in air cargo demand, researchers report.
In 2023, air freight operators operated approximately 300,000 more flights than in 2019, marking a nearly 30% increase in flight volume.
According to the report, the United States alone accounted for over 40% of global air freight emissions during this period.
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Dr Devyani Singh, one of the analysis’s authors, described the expansion as “a new climate and human health threat” and urged air freight companies to “end their reliance on air cargo and shift freight shipments to lower-carbon modes of transport such as marine shipping or rail.”
In 2023, FedEx and UPS accounted for 24.7% of the industry’s carbon emissions. Aviation fuel, which is predominantly derived from fossil fuels (approximately 99.8%), faces significant challenges in scaling low-carbon alternatives in the near future.
A research published forecast that global annual parcel volume could increase to 800 billion parcels a year by 2030, compared with 315 billion in 2022.
The researchers attribute the sharp increase to changes in the post-pandemic economy and evolving consumer expectations in e-commerce, where fast shipping has become the norm.
Amazon’s Prime membership program alone boasts over 200 million global users.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, air freight was primarily used for perishable goods, time-sensitive deliveries, and luxury items. However, supply chain disruptions during the pandemic caused a significant surge in the transportation of non-perishable and lower-value goods by air freight.
