On Wednesday, Google launched a new feature on its flight search tool to highlight the environmental impact of the airline services that passengers are looking at. Altogether, travelers can now see associated CO2 emissions via Google Flights.

A useful addition

The carbon emissions estimate for almost every operation can be found with Google Flights. The figure will be found next to the ticket cost and the flight duration.

While carbon emission information has been available for quite some time, it’s significantly helpful to compare flights through such a user-friendly platform.

For instance, a nonstop British Airways flight to Paris departing London Heathrow at 08:55 on Monday morning is estimated to emit 73 kg of CO2. However, a flight on the same route with Air France at 06:20 is estimated to emit only 54 kg of CO2.

It’s also an eye-opener to see just how much long-distance travel contributes to emissions. For example, nonstop flights to the likes of Singapore from London Heathrow emit up to over 1.3 t of CO2.

Obtaining the data

Google is working with aviation stakeholders and government organizations to gather this information. The tech powerhouse is also looking to scale up its actions in this field through collaborations.

“To produce these estimates, we’re combining data from the European Environmental Agency with the flight-specific information we get from airlines and other providers such as aircraft type, trip distance and the number of seats in each seating class,” Google shares on its official website.

“It’s critical that people can find consistent and accurate carbon emissions estimates no matter where they want to research or book their trip. That’s why we recently joined the Travalyst coalition, where we’ll help develop an open model for calculating carbon emissions from air travel and promote standardization across the travel industry using this framework. This update to Google Flights is just one of the many ways we’re helping people make sustainable choices in their everyday lives.”

Google has the broader passenger journey in mind with its sustainability initiatives. The company notes that the interest in sustainable accommodation has doubled over the last ten years. Therefore, when searching for hotels on Google, travelers can see which companies have made considerable commitments to bettering their practices when it comes to the environment.

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The path to zero

Overall, the aviation industry has ambitious sustainability targets on its mind. There are net-zero goals that need to be met, and passengers are also increasingly conscious of making greener choices. Initiatives such as sustainable aviation fuels, hydrogen, and electric propulsion will undoubtedly help to bring the emissions numbers seen on Google Flights lower in the coming years.

What are your thoughts about Google’s flight tool? Do you feel that this upgrade is a good touch by the company? Let us know what you think of the overall prospects in the comment section.