ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF AIR TRAVEL

Environmental Impact of Air Travel

Abstract

It has now been widely acknowledged that aviation is a major contributor to global warming. In the absence of regulatory mechanisms, airlines and airports have started offering voluntary carbon offsetting schemes to mitigate the negative impact on the environment. Few studies have investigated an air traveller's willingness to pay for the compensation of their CO2 emissions through these schemes. The current body of academic research lacks studies which discuss the influence of consumer-related factors on air travellers' acceptance of voluntary carbon offsetting schemes. This thesis adds to the existing literature by analyzing the influence of these factors on the willingness to compensate for CO2 emissions from air travel and by analyzing the link between willingness and likelihood of compensation. An online survey among 128 respondents gives empirical support for all but one hypothesis. The findings suggest that perception of severity; self-perception and importance are positively related to willingness to compensate. Additionally, a positive link between willingness to compensate and likelihood of actual compensation was established. Empirical evidence for the influence of perceived behavioural control on willingness to compensate was not found. Perceived behavioural control may, however, directly determine likelihood to compensate.

Table of Content

Chapter 1: Introduction5

Chapter 2: Literature Review12

The Impact of Aviation on Climate Change12

Carbon Offsetting15

What is a Carbon Offset?15

The Market for Carbon Offsets17

Voluntary Carbon Offsetting in Aviation18

Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Voluntary Carbon Offsetting in Aviation23

Factors that Influence Participation24

Average Payment Amount28

Reasons for the Lower than Expected Performance of Existing Schemes29

The Influence of Consumer-Related Factors on Pro-Environmental Behaviour in Aviation31

Perception of Severity33

Perceived Behavioural Control34

Self-Perception36

Importance37

Chapter 3: Methodology39

Sample Choice & Data Collection39

Questionnaire Design41

Measurement Items for Independent Constructs42

Measurement Items for Dependent Constructs43

Additional Measurement Items44

Pre-Test44

Analytical Method45

Reliability46

Construct Validity47

Chapter 4: Discussion and Analysis49

Results of the Measurement Model49

Unidimensionality and Reliability49

Construct Validity51

Results of the Structural Model53

Additional Analyses & Findings56

Demographics56

Mediation57

Empirically Validated Model60

Demographics64

Monetary Value65

Closed vs. Open-Ended Questions66

Chapter 5: Conclusion68

Summary of the Research68

Theoretical and Managerial Implications70

Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research72

References75

Appendix83

Chapter 1: Introduction

Climate change is hot. Natural catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina in the United States in 2005 and common report headlines about the Earth's increasing warmth have made weather change one of the most pushing matters worldwide. According to the newest evaluation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), heating of our weather scheme is unequivocal (IPCC, 2007, 66). Sea grades have expanded, snowfall and ice extents have declined and farthest climate happenings have altered in frequency and severity over the past 50 years. The foremost origin of these alterations is the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) that outcome from human activities. One of these human undertakings is air travel. Air journey has now been broadly accepted to influence upon the international weather scheme through the emissions of GHG, encompassing carbon dioxide (CO2).

With the addition of aviation into the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) as from 2012, this international transport part is about to seem the full explode of regulatory heat (Turner, 2009, 29). As an outcome, the aviation part is advised to take activity to mitigate the ecological influence ...