Global Civil Aviation Emissions Estimates for 2017–2020 Using ADS-B Data

What is it about?

We estimate global civil aviation emissions for 2017-2020 using an emerging source of aircraft activity information. We find that, in 2019, 937 million tonnes of CO2 and 4.62 million tonnes kg of NOx were emitted by aircraft, in addition to other chemical species, and discuss how these vary between aircraft classes, regions globally and over time. For 2020, we estimate a 48% lower fuel burn, resulting in 463 million tonnes less CO2 and 2.29 billion kg less NOx emitted than what would be expected without the COVID-19 restrictions. This approach has potential to provide timely and transparent monitoring of aviation's emissions.

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