Climate change and global warming are hot topics in our industry, and we at Delta know that how these issues are dealt with is crucial.

Global warming refers to an increase in the Earth’s average temperature, which in turn causes changes in the climate. A warmer Earth may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, rise in sea levels, and wide range impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. Most commonly when scientists talk about climate change their concern is about global warming being caused by human activities. Global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect, which is when certain gases in the atmosphere trap energy (heat) from the sun, which then leads to a rise in temperature on Earth’s surface. These gases are referred to as greenhouse gases (GHGs) and include water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. GHGs act to trap the energy in the atmosphere, causing our world to warm.

As we all know, the transportation sector is a significant contributor of GHGs. Global transportation contributes an estimated 14% of global GHG emissions and commercial aviation alone produces 2-3%. One gallon of Jet A fuel converts to nearly 21 pounds of CO2. This may sound frightening, but if you multiply mileage by number of passengers, it works out that the average passenger miles per gallon is about 53, similar to driving a small SUV with 3 occupants, their luggage and a 6 year old golden lab.

All in all, climate change is an issue the entire transportation industry is coming face to face with.

Only the future will tell how other industries cope, but Delta is committed to reducing GHG emissions, for emissions are directly related to fuel usage and we want be as fuel efficient as possible. For example, in the past 10 years, the fuel efficiency of Delta’s fleet has improved by 24% and will improve even further in years to come.

Meghan

Sustainability Intern

Environmental Health

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Problem: Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. We all emit CO₂ when we drive, fly, use electricity, generate waste and even when we breathe.

Solution: Now you can actually invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation projects that reduce carbon dioxide emissions. So on one hand, you produce, and on the other, you reduce.

Climate change has become one of the most talked about environmental and social issue of the century.

To tackle this challenge, people, industry and organizations have modified their normal processes to help reduce their contribution of CO₂ emissions. There are programs available that allow you to pay a calculated price to offset your carbon footprint by investing in greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction projects. Examples of these projects are carbon sequestration, habitat protection, methane digestion and renewable energy. The price is calculated by assessing either your overall lifestyle or a certain part of your lifestyle (flying, driving, energy consumption, etc.).

Delta was the first domestic airline to offer carbon offsets to our customers. Last June we partnered with The Conservation Fund (TCF) to help protect and restore natural habitat across the world. Today, when you book on delta.com, you can make a contribution to TCF’s Go Zero program to plant trees to offset the carbon emissions from your flight.

Picture: Delta’s own Steve Tochilin and Jaime Jewell assisted in the planting of more than 234,000 trees on 775 acres as part of a joint effort to help enhance wildlife habitats and fight climate change.

On June 10^th, representatives from TCF, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Environmental Synergy Inc (ESI), Delta, U-Haul and others, joined to announce the restoration of 775 acres of forestland in central Kansas. The Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge supports a mix of wetlands, bottomland and upland forest and tallgrass prairie habitats. Across the nation, nearly 80 percent of bottomland hardwood forests have been cleared for farmland and tallgrass prairies have been reduced by 99 percent. The land was planted by ESI and will be managed by the USFWS. ESI will monitor the newly restored forest for carbon accumulation using on-site measurements over time.

To calculate your carbon footprint:

Meghan

Sustainability Intern

Environmental Health

In my opinion, Delta has taken industry-leading steps towards confronting Environmental Sustainability, and they just took one step further: they hired me! Of course I am not referring to myself, but to my position: Delta’s Sustainability Intern. But what exactly is sustainability and what steps are we taking to “Green” Delta?

I am Meghan Reger and I have a wonderful cubicle in the Environmental Health office at Delta’s Atlanta campus. I consider myself an environmentalist, but I don’t lobby Congress or write hate mail to Exxon Mobil. I do believe there is an intricate relationship between the environment and human behavior and that environmental sustainability is a serious challenge facing all companies and at Delta we have taken some significant steps to reduce our environmental footprint, but we know there is much more to be done.

My mission for the next few months will be to provide a fresh set of eyes and ears, to think outside the box in applying sustainability concepts at Delta. I will be posting weekly with tips, information, and current news regarding how you and we can become more Environmentally Sustainable and share our plans to become more sustainable in the future including recycle bins, carpooling stickers, and carbon offsets.

And what do I mean by ‘sustainable’? Check out this video for a quick look into what sustainable development entails.

Let me know what other green topics you’d like to see this summer.

Meghan

Sustainability Intern

Environmental Health