How bad is air travel for the environment?

If air travel were a country, it would be the world’s 6th largest emitter of greenhouse gases and aviation emissions are expected to triple by 2050, according to the United Nations.

Skipping just one round-trip flight from RDU to Los Angeles would prevent as much climate-warming pollution as going vegan for a year.

In addition to the carbon from fuel, those white, wispy lines from planes you see in the sky called contrails also have heat-trapping properties.

UNC researcher Sarav Arunachalam, who has over two decades of experience in emissions and air quality modeling, says recent assessments show flying has adverse impacts on the climate, air quality, and human health.

"Contrails are the largest non-CO2 based climate change forcer that we have and that's something that we are trying to understand more and more," Arunachalam said.

Arunachalam says new technologies and sustainable fuels are making air travel more energy efficient.

To make your next flight more eco-friendly, utilize a feature on sites like Google Flights and Expedia that shows a green icon highlighting which flights are lower emission options.

Choosing newer plans, non-stop routes, and economy seats are the most carbon-efficient choices.

Packing light can also help because flights burn less fuel with less luggage onboard.