Getting in an airplane long ago ceased to be anything remotely resembling a luxury experience. But in recent years, it has become something else as well — a largely unavoidable form of “climate sin.” Although aviation is a relatively slim sliver of global carbon emissions — around 2.5 percent — at the personal level, it carries an enormous footprint practically unmatched by any other individual action. (Avoiding an international flight from New York City to London, for example, could save 600 kilograms of carbon dioxide from spewing into the atmosphere — about double the effect of going vegan for a year.) The climate activist Greta Thunberg once opted to take a high-speed racing yacht across the Atlantic rather than get in a plane; in her home country, Swedes have started using the word flygskam, which means “flying shame.”

But despite the efforts of activists and climate scientists, most people are unlikely to give up flying. A new report by the nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation suggests another way forward: A global tax on those who fly the most — the proceeds of which could be used to fund research and development into emissions-free aviation fuels.

“We’re saying ‘If you want to fly more, that’s fine,’” said Sola Zheng, a researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation and the lead author of the report. “You’ve just got to pay a bit more.”

The report suggests a frequent flier tax that starts on the second flight each individual takes per year, at a rate of $9. It would then steadily ratchet up, reaching $177 for the 20th flight in a single year. (A “flight” in this case, is a single take off and landing — that is, half of a round trip.) For most Americans — who take two or fewer flights per year — the tax would cost about the same as buying a drink and a bag of chips at the airport. But business travelers and other frequent fliers racking up dozens of flights every 12 months would face steeper costs.

Read the full article at washingtonpost.com