Frequent flying wipes out Zurich residents’ green gains at home

Zurich residents fly more than 10,000 kilometres a year on average. Those flights cause more climate pollution per person than all the heating systems, cars, buses and energy used inside the city combined. For years, Zurich officials have touted their city’s climate progress. They say it is on track to reach net zero for territorial emissions by 2040. But outside of the city’s borders, Zurich residents are contradicting these gains. According to Zurich’s latest interim climate report (called the Netto-Null-Zwischenbericht) around 16% of residents’ climate footprint is produced within the city of Zurich itself. The remaining 84% comes from indirect, consumption-based emissions generated abroad. Taken together, these emissions amount to around 11.9 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent per person per year – a roughly 20% increase from 1990. The increase is driven primarily by outside emissions – imported goods and services. Of all these, aviation is the single largest contributor, accounting for ...