Travel options: Carbon and pollution impacts

Does anyone know where I might be able to find the means to educate myself on the relevant impacts of travel options?

Really? Visiting parents vs carbon footprint.

You have not visited your parents for several years now and your first concern is the carbon footprint?

Do you really want to visit them or are you trying to think of an excuse not to visit them?

Get there by whatever means you can pollution or not.

Single person in a car Vs plane prob not much in it. If you had two or more in the car the car would probably be better. I can't remember where but I think the rule of thumb is air travel is about the same per mile as driving a single occupancy car

Just do it. Scheduled flight vs you getting in a car ? Don't drive ! Bike !!!!! Kidding !

I think the rule of thumb is air travel is about the same per mile as driving a single occupancy car

What if the car is an SUV? (deliberate STW thread spread!)

Get there by whatever means you can

Do you have the option to cross the desert like an Arab man?

Train is better than plane,
Plane is better than car,
Almost everything beats ships.

Short haul by turboprop (ATR) is usually better still.

Long haul business travel is the real impactful stuff.

Classic. The first input is a dig/critical response from Chewkw. It's not my first concern but it is a relevant question. Dutifully setting aside the trolling elements of that contribution, they're both vulnerable and quite elderly. I both work from home full time in one job and also part time in pre hospital healthcare. So, very busy and no visits since late 2019.
There will be two of us travelling in a diesel Superb, probably with bikes in the back. It does around 60mpg or better on a long run, so quite fuel efficient. The aircraft on that route is likely to be a small turboprop, it always has been in the past with AerAran. So, again relatively speaking, efficient.
And before anyone else suggests it, we have done it by bike once, on the tandem. That was a great holiday but there simply isn't a gap in our schedule long enough for that 900 mile plus journey and a family visit this year.
Thanks folks. I think that so far, driving is just edging it..

One of the best things about car travel, and why they will always remain popular, is being able to take interesting routes. Stop at some nice places on the way, enjoy the journey.

It isn’t far enough for me to consider flying, too much faff going to airports, collecting hire cars etc.

Drive-Fly-Drive will be the least impactful of the journeys.

It’s direct, it’s fast and it’s turboprop.

So long as the air route is operating, the best thing is to maximise the use of that route (max passenger density per flight). The thing that’s also not really captured in air travel use is that the planes are rarely used for just passengers. Lots of cargo is loaded/carried, but it’s often as-hoc, so difficult to capture. Without passenger air travel, this would have to be transported another way.

The our world in data website gives a good breakdown of carbon footprint for each mode of travel. Although it only looks at CO2, so while it rates a ferry as a foot passenger as one of the lowest impacts, I'm aware of the other pollutants associated with heavy oils.

Link: https://ourworldindata.org/travel-carbon-footprint

I want to hear more about your tandem ride!

Just read the guardian less and after a while, you'll find you won't be as neurotic about such things and your parents might even get to see you.

Or 2. drive to Cairnryan, boat to Belfast/Larne, drive south with due care on the motorway network. 450 miles each way and a contribution to the heavy oil emissions by the ferry.

3. Get the bus from Glasgow to Belfast, then pick up trains and buses? https://hannoncoach.com/belfast-to-glasgow-with-hannon-coach/

Whatever you do you can't offset this lot

they’re both vulnerable and quite elderly.

Jump in the bloody car and crack on.

TBH my personal carbon footprint barely crosses my mind, particularly whist there are things like the war in Ukraine going on...
In this instance i'd just go the easiest/cheapest/quickest way.

Just to say +1 for thinking this through and making a decision with it in mind.

A well done for thinking about this from me too. I think the link that blue72 has posted up there is going to give you the best way of simply working out the carbon emission impacts.

Another thing to throw into the mix is which form of transport do you want to support - consumer power can change things in the future. Do you want to support the future of short haul flying or ferry crossings?

Direct ferries have a rough and ready calculator on their website.
https://www.directferries.co.uk/carbon_footprint_calculator.htm

It shows 2 people in a petrol car from Cork to Edinburgh is about 86 kg of CO2 and a short haul flight is about 87kg. Diesel car will be a bit less CO2.

The least polluting way would be train and ferry at only 6.8 kg of CO2!

Only a rough guide but shows that trains are probably the least polluting options available.

Edit: the direct ferries calculator shows assumed emmision per km for each mode of transport so you could adjust to your car or data any airline has.

Flying Vs car is very close to even.

The boats though can be fairly efficient, the figures get a bit muddied as passenger ferries, car ferries, cruise ships and bulk tankers have massively different emissions per kg. So if you can Train-Ferry-Train (or hire car) then that would be much better as that car space is probably doubling the carbon footprint of that leg Vs just getting a cabin for example.

[edit beaten to it with actual numbers, basically if there's a train it almost always wins this argument by an order of magnitude.
The most aerodynamic, no rolling resistance, no start-stop, the most efficient drivetrain].

Really? Visiting parents vs carbon footprint.

You have not visited your parents for several years now and your first concern is the carbon footprint?

Do you really want to visit them or are you trying to think of an excuse not to visit them?

Get there by whatever means you can pollution or not.

Sustainability isn't wearing sandals knitted from hemp and denying yourself. It's meeting your own needs without impacting on the needs of others now or in the future.

Flying to Ireland weekly probably fails that test, traveling there in an efficient way would probably pass it.

When it comes to family I tend to take the most time efficient mode of transport otherwise I won't see them. I try to make my carbon savings elsewhere. I cycle to work and to the supermarket. I keep the house at the same temperature as the fridge (at least that's what the rest of the family say). I try to avoid rampant consumerism and I recycle as much as I can. All holidays have been in the UK for a few years (there are of course other significant contributory factors there).
I think you just have to do what gets you there in the right amount of time with the most economy and least stress. Its scary how much my parents have aged in the last 3 years. I don't want to deny them or myself and my kids time with them.

One other thing to consider is the flight itself. If your folks are vulnerable then there is risk from being in a cabin with recirculated air and picking up bugs. I used to have a constant cold on the go when flying regularly. I don't miss that at all.

Just read the guardian less and after a while, you’ll find you won’t be as neurotic about such things and your parents might even get to see you.

Or you could read this thread a bit more and be less of a dick?

Get there by whatever means you can pollution or not.

He has a choice of means, so he has to pick one. What's wrong with asking this question?

The thing that’s also not really captured in air travel use is that the planes are rarely used for just passengers. Lots of cargo is loaded/carried, but it’s often as-hoc, so difficult to capture. Without passenger air travel, this would have to be transported another way.

Not sure what bearing that has on specific travel to Ireland where massively more freight arrives by road and ferry than by air (quick google 138k tonnes for air freight, 50 million tonnes by maritime freight, and that is just the Republic, Larne handles 12% of the freight in the six counties) The ferries have to go to the island to support the population and the economic activity of the state you will be a minute marginal impact, if any.

I'm doing what I can..
The car may be edging it, so far, with the advantage of readily taking two bikes as well. There seem to be only small differences in this example and seeing family is important anyway.
Public transport options would involve much longer hours, resulting in an extra overnight each way/less time in the South.

@oldnpastit : tandem, trailer, Scots flag flying on a pole.
Two highlights; we were cheered on by dozens of Giro riders and their team support as they all drove past us on an otherwise closed A3 main road to get to the start line in Armagh town. Streams of team cars and buses with folks hanging out windows; it was surreal. The only squad who ignored us entirely was Team Sky. Funny that..

Later in the trip, we stopped off in Doolin, Co Clare on a Saturday night. It's possibly the traditional music capital of Ireland and the pub we went to for dinner was also that night the venue for a big hen do. There were several professional session musicians gathered among the flock, one of whom had even brought her harp. The aunties welcomed us into their group, so mildly shielding us from the worst of the chaos, making sure we were fed and watered.
One barman did nothing but pull pints of Guinness all night, lining them up on the bar. You threw a €2 coin in a big glass bowl at the end of the bar and picked the darkest one.. Only in Ireland.
Oh my head the next day on the way to Galway City.

Do you have the option to cross the desert like an Arab man?

Yes, if camel is the preference why not? But I think they prefer Toyota Landcruiser nowadays.

I’m doing what I can..

I think using public transport will be a problem if your parents are vulnerable. People cough etc in the public transport and you don't know what you will be "carrying" to your parents.

Your only option is driving to reduce the risk.

Or you can cycle as you have done that before.

It’s easy. Fly. The plane is going whether you are on it or not. It is therefore the way greener than driving